


Falling Stars

by xRaeAsakurax



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Body Horror, Genji playing bodyguard, Hypersuasion, I'm tagging it to be safe, Lúcio gets into a whole heap of trouble, M/M, Noodle Dragons, So many Noodle Dragons, and Genji turns into a dragon, i guess?, it's a normal day at work, just about, slight AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-28
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-07-18 11:11:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 24,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16117199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xRaeAsakurax/pseuds/xRaeAsakurax
Summary: At least things around Lúcio are never boring. This could either be the best or worst assignment Overwatch has ever sent Genji on.





	Falling Stars

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sataara](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sataara/gifts).



> Hello everyone! Back again with more Gencio goodness for you. As a forewarning this fic does contain a fair few headcanons for Genji's cybernetic body, what his limits are and his dragon and weapon.
> 
> Before we begin I would first like to say a HUGE thank you to Sataara, to whom this fic is dedicated. They helped me so much with Lúcio's Portuguese, being a native speaker, and it's really appreciated! Plus, I get most of my Gencio stuff on Tumblr from them soooooooo.....
> 
> Also I have added a feature that should (hopefully) work where whenever you come across non-English phrases; hovering the mouse cursor over the text should bring up a floating box that provides the English translation. For those of you on mobile or otherwise unable to view said floating boxes, I will be putting the translations in the end notes.
> 
> So, without further ado, onto the fic!

"Yo Gaiden." Hana Song peered her head around the corner to the meditation room, popping a gum bubble at Genji and thumbing over her shoulder. "Jack wants to see you, you got a mission."

Genji rolled his eyes under his mask but stood from his meditations nonetheless. "Thank you, D.Va," he replied quietly.

"Welcomes!" Hana vanished as quickly as she'd appeared, and Genji started making his way towards the debriefing room where Jack was likely waiting. Someday, he mused as he walked, he was going to have to try these Gaiden games Hana had nicknamed him after. He’d heard they were pretty good. He bowed to his mentor as Zenyatta passed, a quiet greeting passing between the two of them. The omnic was probably heading to the meditation room he'd just vacated. They usually did it together, but oftentimes one or the other was out on assignment. Such was the way of Overwatch agents.

Eventually he reached the debriefing room, and he slipped inside to find Jack, Winston and Ana waiting for him. He slowly closed the door, eyeing each of them oddly from behind the safety of his visor.

"I feel like I am about to be interrogated over something I did not do," he said slowly, and Ana chuckled.

"Hardly, Genji." She waved him over, her familiar lilting voice calming. "Come, we need your help with something."

Genji gave them a quick bow before joining his fellow operatives. He raised an eyebrow when he realized what was taking up the screen; a massive poster of one of the biggest music stars in the world and a file sheet next to it. He leaned in a little to read some of the file thoughtfully, then turned to the others.

"Lúcio Correia dos Santos," said Ana, sounding as though she'd been speaking Portuguese her entire life. Genji wasn't sure she secretly hadn't; Ana was the kind of person who loved throwing people off-balance. "Overwatch has had their eye on him for some time. We like him very much as a potential asset after that rather spectacular take down of Vishkar a couple years back."

"So what has changed?" Genji asked, flicking through to the next sheet on the file screen.

"Talon," Jack replied with a growl. "We got chatter and intel that they're targeting him at one of his concerts but we haven't been able to find out which one."

"Or why they're after him in the first place," added Winston almost cheerfully. "It might seem obvious, but we suspect something else is at play aside from him being such a current prominent figure."

"Then where does that leave me?" Genji finally tore his gaze away from the information and turned it back to the other three agents.

"You're going to be his personal bodyguard while he's on tour," explained Jack. "Dr Ziegler will give you a full checkup before you go, but once you're cleared you'll be heading straight for Lúcio's first port of call in Numbani. He'll be there for a few days before his concert kicks off, so you'll have a chance to get to know him and the way he works."

"We don't think Talon will attack for the first few concerts," Ana offered. "They'll be looking for the openings as you will. Figuring out how he works, his routines and weaknesses. We can't be too careful though, and you'll need as much time as possible to be as prepared as you can."

"Am I doing this by myself? I am not that good, whatever you may think of my ability. One man cannot hold off Talon." Genji fidgeted with the wakizashi on his hip.

"No," Winston agreed. "You won't be alone, Genji. Tracer and McCree have offered to join Lúcio's security team, agents will be sent to meet you at the various tour stops and your brother may drop in at some point."

"Oh." Genji couldn't decide whether to be annoyed by Hanzo's apparent lack of faith in him or pleased that he may be checking up on his only sibling. "Lena will be a welcome addition to the team, as will Jesse if he gets his flirting under control."

"Like you're one to talk, boy," cackled Ana. "Don't think I haven't heard about Shimada Genji, pre-ninja cyborg."

"...Touché." Genji tilted his head as a grin flashed under his mask. Ana seemed to get the gesture though, as hers widened.

"Any questions?" asked Jack crisply.

"No."

"Good. Go to Mercy, get checked out. You'll leave as soon as possible." Jack waved Genji out, and the ninja bowed and left. He commed Angela briefly to make sure she was still in her office and made his way there quickly.

He wondered what kind of a person this Lúcio was. He'd met a lot of celebrities in his time, both before and after his transformation into the cyborg he was now. Some were okay people, a little prideful and entitled but decent enough. Others were arrogant to the point of narcissism, and entitled didn't begin to describe them. Oddly enough it was those that had come from more humble backgrounds that seemed to get the Hollywood bug much worse than others, so he wasn't holding his breath about this DJ.

  
  


\--

  
  


The all clear from Mercy given, it wasn't long later that the Overwatch jet was touching down in Numbani. Lena was off the jet as soon as the doors opened, sprinting out of the cabin with a whoop. She never did well in confined spaces for extended periods. Perhaps she could before her accident, but now she just got antsy. Jesse followed her at a much more sedate pace, shaking his head at her antics and adjusting his hat. Genji completed the entourage, rolling his shoulders and feeling a little empty without his katana strapped to them. He exhaled as he stepped out the jet and Numbani's heat washed over him. While he didn't feel warmth or cold quite as he used to, there was no denying how hot the air was. How Lena was running like she was he had no idea.

Thinking of the devil brought her over, and Tracer bounced up to him with a wide grin. "Looking forward to working for a celeb, love?"

"I will get back to you on that," Genji replied dryly.

"Aww, I'm sure he'll be a blast! He seems like a decent enough guy," she chirped. "I'm kind of jealous you know. I wanna schmooze with the elites."

"It is not as fun as you might think."

"Ooo! You've been living the high life then, yeah?" Tracer hooked an arm through his as they moved to the storage area to pick up their gear. "Tell me everything."

He spent the time between gathering their gear and checking into their hotel regaling Lena - and eventually Jesse when he joined them for the ride - about all the famous people he'd ever met and what they were like.

Eventually he disentangled himself from Tracer's wonderful embrace and McCree's steady presence and vanished into his room to shower and meditate. The hot water felt good against all his prosthetics and he spent ages under the stream just standing, armorless, letting all the tensions of the past few weeks wash away and relaxing happily. It was a little harder to breathe without his filter and mask in place, but more than worth it for the feeling of hot water running through his hair and down his face.

Once cleaned up and feeling more refreshed he settled himself on his bed comfortably and started his daily meditations. He let his thoughts drift, mind just idling until it landed on Lúcio. The DJ's cheeky grin plastered over both his posters and the file images Overwatch had of him was the first thing Genji saw, followed closely by the rest of him.

He wondered about the DJ. While the whole Hollywood bug affliction held true there was something very... open about Lúcio. His eyes and mouth showed no dishonesty, no disdain or contempt for those around him. That didn't mean disillusionment by any means - someone who had been through what he had couldn't possibly hold any more naïve assumptions about the world, but there was always hope and Lúcio looked like the kind of person who sought that out in everything.

Genji sighed and shook his head of his thoughts. He would know tomorrow. Until then he had his meditations to complete and sleep to catch up on. The next few weeks were going to be busy.

  
  


\--

  
  


The next day Genji was up with the sun, watching it rise above the Numbani skyline in brilliant pinks, oranges and blues from the hotel roof. He sat perfectly still as the slowly brightening yellow disc appeared from behind the horizon, drinking in the warmth and the atmosphere. Numbani was one of the only cities in the world to put an exceptionally heavy emphasis on harmony between humans and omnics. And it showed. There was no undercurrent of tension as in most places he visited, no resentment from either species. There were just beings going about their daily lives, chores and activities. The city was starting to stir as the morning progressed, and after watching the sunrise for about an hour and a half whilst listening to the markets below setting up Genji stood to join his fellow agents for breakfast.

Jesse looked only half awake when Genji met him in the corridors, and the American managed to give him some kind of greeting through a massive yawn. His hair was thoroughly rumpled, and Genji took great amusement in McCree's total lack of morning skills. That, it seemed, had not changed from their Blackwatch days.

Tracer was already in the breakfast hall when they arrived. She, on the other hand, was very much a morning person as she waved them over enthusiastically and practically vibrated in her seat while she ate.

"Make sure you get lots to eat gents, we've got a long day ahead," she said gleefully, polishing off a couple of bacon strips.

"Bein' that chipper in the mornin' should be a crime," Jesse muttered as he slouched in his seat. Genji snickered and waved off Lena's comment.

"I have already refueled, but thank you Tracer."

"Eh, suit yourself love. Save us the table then, yeah?" Lena disappeared before he could reply, and McCree gave her retreating back a look from under one arm.

"I hate that girl," he growled.

"No you don't," countered Genji with a grin. "Only at half past seven in the morning."

"I'm gonna kill her if she starts gigglin’." Jesse finally dragged himself back out of the chair to stumble towards the breakfast buffet, and Genji took the opportunity to scan the room. Most of the people here looked to be business folk, though it was possible some of them were here for Lúcio's concert a few days early. A family clearly on vacation took up one corner of the dining room, one of the kids pitching a fit at something, and a young couple, possibly on their honeymoon, were feeding each other breakfast with sleepily adoring expressions near the door.

A latino man entered the dining room then, looking around a little nervously before noticing Genji and picking his way gingerly over. By the time he reached the table Tracer was back and wolfing down another plate of eggs, bacon, toast, hash browns and beans and Jesse somehow had managed to both pour himself a bowl of cornflakes and milk and bring it back to the table without spilling any. The man came up to them as McCree slid into his chair with a grumpy noise.

"Are you the Overwatch agents?" the man asked them quietly, and Genji inclined his head in agreement.

"We are," he said.

"You one of Lúcio's guys then?" Tracer piped up after swallowing a mouthful of tea.

"Yes." The man looked relieved. "I'm glad I found you. My name is Amando Santana, Lúcio's agent. Um, I assume you're Genji, yes?" He pointed slightly in the ninja's direction. Genji found this to be one of those moments where he relished having a completely neutral face to show to the world as he shook his head and pointed solemnly at Jesse sat across from him, who was wrapping his hands around a massive mug of coffee.

"No, he is."

McCree looked startled at the address and blinked at them both slowly while Amando glanced between them and started stuttering out apologies. Tracer smacked Genji with her teaspoon.

"Don't listen to 'im love," she said, "he's full of it. This is Genji, that's McCree and I'm Tracer."

Genji couldn't help the chuckle. "Your pardon, I could not resist the opportunity."

Looking much more mollified and less like he was panicking about name and culture assumptions Amando shook each of their hands. "It's good to meet you three. Once you have finished here I will take Genji up to Lúcio's room to get them acquainted and then I will take both of you to the security team. We could use your advice on some things."

"Sure thing. We'll meet you in the lobby in half an hour, yeah? Let McCree wake up a little at least," Tracer teased.

Genji stood up. "I can go now if you prefer. I do not need to eat."

"Oh!" Amando looked a little surprised, but then nodded. "Yes, of course, if you would like." He gestured at the others. "I will fetch you both when Genji is settled with Lúcio."

"Fine by us." Jesse waved a listless hand at them. "Go have fun, kids."

Genji followed Amando out of the room and to the elevators. He considered asking questions, but opted not to as they loaded themselves into a carriage with another couple. Lúcio was likely trying to keep his presence on the down low, and Zenyatta had taught him silence often got one more information than making your presence loud and stifling. Let someone talk, and the words will flow. Interrupt, and whatever they had to say they may think twice on. Besides, sometimes it was better to see things for oneself than make judgements based on other people's opinions. That kind of thinking could be dangerous.

They ended up on the top floor of the hotel, standing outside one of their more prestigious suites. Of course. Amando must have noticed the slight aura of disdain around Genji, because he grimaced a little.

"Yeah, it's not really to his tastes, but the hotel seems to have this thing about not letting him mingle with the common rabble or some such nonsense."

Genji said nothing, and they entered the room. No one else was there apart from Lúcio himself, and he was sat on the sofa with one of his legs on his lap, poking at it with a tool. Correction, Genji thought with slight surprise, one of his prosthetic legs. It was his right one, and he seemed engrossed in whatever maintenance or modifications he was doing to it with a pink tongue poking out the corner of his mouth in concentration.

Lúcio was startled into dropping both his leg and a string of Portuguese swear words when Amando cleared his throat to get the DJ's attention. " _Qual é o seu problema, cara?_ " were the sharp words out of Lúcio's mouth as he gave his manager a dark look. 

"Absolutely nothing," shot back Amando in amusement. "It's hardly my fault you never heard the door open." He looked back at Genji. "See, this is why we thought a personal bodyguard would be a good idea."

"I can see your reasoning," Genji said, not bothering to hide the smile in his voice.

"Hey hey hey, no picking on the little guy here!" Lúcio folded his arms and stuck his tongue out maturely at both of them.

"Put your leg back on and come say hello properly," Amando scolded. "Don't freak out the new security."

"Believe me, there are those far worse than this in Overwatch." Genji bowed towards Lúcio. "It's my pleasure to make your acquaintance."

To his surprise Lúcio got up and bowed back almost perfectly, despite only having one leg. " _Hajimemashite,_ " he returned with only the slightest hint of his Brazilian accent shining through. "The pleasure's mine." He picked the prosthetic up and reattached it swiftly, then walked over to Genji with a hand out. The ninja shook it, pleased to feel a sturdy grip. Perhaps the musician wasn't as bad as he'd feared.

"Are there any languages you do not speak?" Genji asked, half teasing half curious. He smirked when Lúcio blushed a little.

"Languages come easy, it's an audial thing. Ain't fluent by any means, but I know enough to get by."

"Consider me impressed."

"Lúcio this is Genji Shimada, the Overwatch agent assigned as your personal bodyguard and security," Amando piped up. "Please don't overwhelm him on your first day."

" _Cala a boca_ ," Lúcio replied cheerfully. "Don't worry so much, we'll be fine. I'm sure we'll get along great."

Amando gave Genji a questioning look then, and the ninja nodded. Amando glanced between them as they assessed each other, then patted Genji on the arm. "Well then, if you're sure I will leave you to it and collect your friends."

"Make sure Tracer has not eaten the entire buffet, I would not put it past her," Genji called after him dryly, and Amando laughed as he disappeared down the hall.

"You came here with Tracer?" Lúcio's voice was excited. "Man I'm a big fan!"

"She is of you as well, I believe." Genji settled against one wall. "You will meet her in due time, she is now a part of your security force." He paused, then pointed at the leg Lúcio had off earlier. "Do you need help at all?"

Lúcio looked down at himself, then shook his head. "Naw, thanks man. I got it."

"Are they both augmented?"

"Yeah." The DJ shrugged. "No one notices ‘cause I either wear my skates in public or long trousers to cover the prosthetics." Lúcio frowned then and motioned at him. "C'mon, sit down. Take a load off."

Genji was torn for a moment between remaining standing so he could react easier to things and sitting to be more comfortable. In the end he chose to sit, mostly because he figured having a fully augmented ninja looming over you wasn’t the most relaxing feeling in the world. As soon as he was seated Lúcio gave him a very obvious once over. Normally he resented that kind of thing – he hated being reminded of what he was regardless of whether Zenyatta had helped him come to terms with his enhancements – but he found he didn’t mind the scrutiny so much because there was an odd flare of understanding in Lúcio’s eyes. It was followed by a mischievous waggle of the eyebrows.

“I’ll show you mine if you show me yours,” Lúcio grinned, running a hand up his leg almost suggestively. Genji snorted audibly.

“And here I thought all those Brazilian stereotypes were false,” he shot back.

“You sayin’ I ain’t ridiculously attractive?” Lúcio lifted his hands to his chest and looked thoroughly offended.

“And your butt is flat.” 

“Well I _never_.” Lúcio managed to hold his expression for maybe three or four seconds, then fell back laughing as Genji chuckled. The DJ eventually came up for air again waving a hand in the ninja’s direction. “You’re alright, man. I think we’re gonna get along just fine.”

“I believe we are.”

Silence fell between them for a couple minutes as Lúcio removed one of his legs with care once more and restarted his maintenance on it. Genji took the time to study Lúcio, watching as what was left of the DJ’s lower leg swung gently off the side of the sofa while he worked and a pink tongue and abstract tune escaped dark lips in concentration. The whole scene was ridiculously… cute, was the only word Genji could come up with. Lúcio was much more normal than Genji had originally given him credit for. Perhaps it was still a little early to say, but none of the other high-lifers he had worked for previously would have gone along with that joke. It would have been too personal. And most of the augmented ones would rather be shoved into the pits of hell than let some outsider know they had prosthetics.

Lúcio must have felt the gaze, because he eventually shifted and caught Genji’s eyes through his visor. “So what about yours? Never seen someone wear them so openly.”

“I… do not really have a choice.” Genji’s hands settled gracefully in his lap. “Without my prosthetics I am a dead man, and they are not something I can hide. I have learned to accept it.”

That made the DJ start, looking up properly from his work and lowering his tool. “Seriously? That’s all…?” He gave Genji another once over, but this time a much more calculated one. “That sucks.” A pause. “Or does it?” Lúcio turned questioning eyes back up to Genji’s visor, tone genuinely curious. “How much of you is prosthetics?”

“It sucked, big time, when I first realized what had been done to me,” admitted Genji. “I have come to terms with it since. Sometimes I even enjoy it, having so much more strength and speed than those around me.” He hesitated, wondering how much he should show Lúcio, but caved after about thirty seconds and slowly took off his faceplate, pushing his visor out of his eyes. Lúcio’s own widened in surprise and pain when Genji’s scarred visage became apparent and Genji’s eyes, just as vibrant a hazel as they were when he was young, showed nothing but a disturbed peace in them. Lúcio abandoned his leg on the sofa, ungainly crossing over instead to Genji and resting both hands around the sides of the ninja’s face with an expression of sympathy darkening with anger. Genji was so surprised by the touch that he didn’t pull away, and by the time the thought came to him he was too relieved to have someone who wasn’t shying away or grossed out actually holding him that he couldn’t if he tried.

“ _Meu Deus_ ,” breathed Lúcio, awed and furious. “Who did this to you? What happened?”

“It is a long story. Perhaps when all this is over I will tell you everything.” Genji covered one of Lúcio’s hands with his own. “I am past it, Lúcio. This is me now, and I have accepted that.”

The anger in the DJ’s eyes lessened as Genji spoke but it was still there, and for some reason that gave the ninja a bit of a thrill; that someone he’d only just met cared enough to be that furious on his behalf was not a feeling Genji wanted to end any time soon. It felt good.

“ _Você é tão bonito_ ,” murmured Lúcio instead, running his finger down the scar slicing Genji’s left cheek. “I’m glad you found some peace with yourself, at least,” he added quickly, a little louder. “It can’t have been an easy transition.”

“No, it was not.” Genji felt oddly lost when Lúcio pulled away from him, but ignored the feeling. He was there to guard, not fraternize. “I ended up at the Shambali temple in Nepal, which is where I came to terms with… everything.”

“The omnic one?”

“Yes.”

Lúcio nodded thoughtfully. “If they were all like Mondatta then I ain’t surprised you found your peace there.”

“Most were. My master is Mondatta’s brother, oddly enough.” Genji watched as Lúcio expertly hopped back to his section of the sofa, picking up where he left off with his work. “How about you?”

“Oh, my legs?” Lúcio didn’t look up from his work. “Yeah, I lost them during that whole kerfuffle with Vishkar back in _Brasil_. I had enough to buy normal everyday prosthetics, Hana was the one to send me my skates.”

“Hana… Song? D.Va?” Genji raised an eyebrow then as Lúcio flashed him an affirmative smile.

“Yeah. She found me through my SoundByte profile one day, came askin’ if I could mix her some music for a game she was in the middle of making. We got to talking and really hit it off.” Lúcio chuckled lowly. “Have you seen how much speculation there is out there that Hana and I are dating?”

“No, I… had not noticed. She has certainly never mentioned it.”

“Oh man, that girl knows _everyone_!” Lúcio finished what he was doing on his current leg before pulling the other off to give it the same treatment. “What did she drag you into?”

Genji snorted. “She is our youngest operative,” he clarified. “She is stationed where I was before I was ordered here.”

“Ah, she mentioned she wasn’t stationed in Korea anymore, but I didn’t realize she was with Overwatch. Good on her.” Lúcio eyed his work critically, then dived back in.

“So _are_ you two dating?” Genji asked cheekily, waggling his eyebrows.

“Oh my god not you too,” Lúcio groaned, tossing some wire strippers at him half-heartedly. “No, no, no and _no_.”

Genji caught the wire strippers with a chuckle, tossing them up and down in one hand. “Any particular reason?”

“Oh don’t get me wrong, I love that girl to pieces, but the chemistry just ain’t there. She ain’t my type.” He grinned, screwing something back in before replacing his leg and hopping up to test them both out. “I don’t go out with anyone who can kick my ass that badly at video games.”

“I would love to have challenged her in my younger days, before all this,” Genji mused, gesturing at himself. “My reflexes are too quick now, it would be cheating.”

“Ha! You think you could beat Hana like that?”

“I will need to practice a lot,” snorted Genji. “I have not touched a game since my life went to Hell and back.”

“Seriously?” Lúcio immediately raced to the TV and switched it on, along with a console hidden underneath. He rummaged for a few seconds then popped up with six different games in his hands. “C’mon, I know what we’re doing for the rest of the day. Which do you want?”

Genji hesitated, but relented pretty quickly and selected a game for the both of them to play. By the end of the day Genji had almost got back into his old video game flow and Lúcio had won a roughly equal number of games. They traded good-natured barbs and insults as they played, Genji feeling more and more _human_ as the day went on, much more like himself. He caught himself wondering if it was because he was indulging in one of his oldest joys, or that Lúcio was the one doing it with him.

This was going to be an interesting assignment.

  
  


\--

  
  


Over the next couple of days Genji helped McCree and Tracer with the security checks, sweeps and revisions, while memorizing any schedules Lúcio had. Fortunately, aside from the usual pre-concert bumf, some meetings with staff and the concert itself Lúcio was very much a ‘make it up as you go’ kind of scheduler, spontaneous and open. Good, Genji had said, harder for Talon to pinpoint his movements then.

Tracer and Lúcio met for the first time, and squeals of fangirl and fanboy-ish happiness could be heard through most of their floor. The two of them hit it off right away, just as Genji figured they would, and Jesse just stood back to watch the storm with an expression of fond exasperation, eventually prizing the two apart when they showed no signs of winding down the chatter after fifteen minutes to introduce himself and drag Lena off for a security sweep. Lúcio watched them go, laughter in his face, before turning to Genji and bouncing over to him.

“Man, I’m jealous,” he announced. “You have some great friends. And they’re both cute. Jesse’s too old for me though, I think.” A pause. “Actually, how old is everyone? How old are you?”

Genji laughed. “I am 35. McCree is 37 and Lena is 26.”

“Ah, she’s the same age as me then.” Lúcio hooked an arm through Genji’s with a faux frown. “Now tell me this; how am I supposed to get anything done with such a great entourage following me around? I have two amazing security agents makin’ sure I stay safe and a hot cyborg bodyguard on my cute ass 24-7.”

“That’s a hot _ninja_ cyborg bodyguard on your cute ass 24-7,” Genji corrected haughtily, making Lúcio snigger and smack him.

“No but seriously,” Lúcio said when the giggles wound down, “thanks for this. I didn’t think Overwatch would actually send agents to cover my tour, I would have pegged you all for being too busy.”

“They are hoping to recruit you at some point,” Genji hummed, acknowledging the thanks with a squeeze of the arm Lúcio still had wrapped though his, “even if it is not as an agent. I believe they are trying to… how does the saying go? Win some brownie points?”

“Yeah, I figured there had to be a catch. Overwatch wouldn’t just do this out the kindness of their hearts.” Lúcio shrugged. “Ain’t sure I’d accept though, Rio was more than enough excitement for me.”

“I can imagine. I, for one, shall not press the issue.” Genji leaned against a wall, observing the DJ through his visor as his arm slipped away. “So what will we be doing today? Any trouble I may or may not have to bail you out of?”

“Honestly,” said Lúcio huffily, his brightening eyes giving away his good humor, “first you accuse me of not fitting my country’s stereotypes and now you think I’m a trouble magnet or something! Bodyguards are meant to not be heard, fyi.”

“Be grateful,” Genji retorted mildly, “normally I am utilized as an assassin.”

“Terrifying.” Lúcio waggled his fingers vaguely towards Genji, who chuckled and darted forward, grabbing one of the DJ’s wrists and pinning him against the vending machine behind them. Bringing his visor in close he studied Lúcio’s abruptly startled expression.

“I can be, when I want to. When I need to.” He let Lúcio go slowly. “Do not worry, Lúcio, Talon will not get you so long as I am around.”

“Somehow,” Lúcio said in a subdued, still slightly surprised tone after a long pause, “I believe you.”

  
  


\--

  
  


Lúcio’s first concert in Numbani was a resounding success. The pre-prep went swimmingly, security was exceptionally tight and thorough thanks to Overwatch’s additions and the concert itself was a massive hit with both human and omnic alike. It had been the musician’s first ever truly live performance – according to Lúcio taking the local Rio bars and clubs by storm didn’t count – and he had been immensely nervous. For someone so confident he was surprisingly shy about the whole thing and spent nearly an hour before show time pacing in his room babbling at Genji afraid that no one would actually like him and his music live.

Genji had let him get it all out of his system before smacking Lúcio across the back of the head and scolding him gently that he would be fine, to take a deep breath and _relax_. Lúcio had stared at him in confusion for the head smack, then nodded slowly and flopped onto his settee with a sharp exhale. He plugged himself into a music player and a pair of earbuds, eventually relaxing enough to regain most of his confidence. 

Lúcio’s nerves were palpable as he took the stage, but as Genji observed he got more and more into his work so that by the time his third song was only halfway done he was so obviously in his element that the ninja could do nothing but watch. Not like it was a chore, Genji mused. Lúcio was riveting to watch, completely lost in the rhythm as his body moved, his lights flickered in sync, his dreadlocks shifted and his face was open and _happy_. He was as stunning as Genji had ever seen him, and it took every ounce of willpower for him not to spend the entire time ogling and actually do the job he was hired to do.

Talon didn’t strike at Lúcio’s highly successful Numbani concert, just as Ana had predicted and much to Genji’s relief. The next stop on Lúcio’s worldwide tour was St Petersburg, something Zarya was very excited about. She had offered, through Genji, to show the young DJ around, and Lúcio had accepted enthusiastically. As good as he was at picking up languages he would find things much easier with a guide, and from the way Genji described her he’d decided he would like the Russian very much. With Aleksandra around to help keep Lúcio safe Genji doubted that Talon would strike there either.

Hanamura was a different matter. After St Petersburg they would be traveling to the city of Shizuoka, the prefecture of which Hanamura resided in, in the shadow of Mount Daisen. Lúcio felt Tokyo was too big a place for his first tour, and so had settled for the second largest city in Japan. However the Shimada-gumi had made Shizuoka their turf as well as Hanamura, and while they were broken with both Genji and Hanzo’s influence they were still a threat and a very credible way of getting Talon agents into the city unnoticed.

That could wait, Genji decided as Lúcio almost fell over backstage, elated but utterly exhausted. The cyborg caught Lúcio with a chuckle, causing the younger to stick his tongue out. Amando came over full of congratulations, escorting both of them back to Lúcio’s ride before leaving them to it. The journey back to the hotel was full of tired chatter from a sparkly-eyed Lúcio as he lauded the concert, his audience, his team, the prep and the security. He was beyond thrilled to be able to bring his music to so many people, and that was just the first stop on his tour.

When they reached the hotel and the room the musician flopped face first onto his bed with an appreciative groan and decided he was never going to move again. Genji shook his head and started feeling around for the latches which would take Lúcio’s skates off, and his motions caused Lúcio to grumble slightly before turning around with a sleepy but cheeky grin.

“If you wanted your hands all over me, all you had to do was ask.”

That got him a gentle smack as the first skate came off. “Shut up and sleep, you,” retorted Genji.

“That wasn’t a ‘no’.”

“It was not a ‘yes’ either, now get some sleep before I knock you out myself.” The other skate slipped off and Lúcio stretched his legs in appreciation. “You did well tonight. Rest.”

“Yeah. Sounds good.” Lúcio yawned, popped his back, and over the next five minutes fell into a sound slumber. Genji stood both skates by the bathroom door and dug out Lúcio’s standard legs from behind the settee along with a clean pair of black and green sweatpants. He placed both on the end of the bed, and left an oblivious DJ to his dreams while he settled on the sofa bed in the suite’s living area which had become his den during their stay in Numbani. Powering down his systems he launched into his low power meditative state. Not quite sleep, but he didn’t really indulge in that anymore and he preferred to be alert. Especially on assignments like this.

  
  


\--

  
  


The next morning Genji was once more up with the sun, but did not go down to breakfast after watching the sunrise from the suite’s main window. He didn’t tend to eat anyway, refueling was much simpler and more efficient, but it also meant he didn’t have to leave Lúcio’s side. The DJ himself, however, was another story. Genji turned on his communicator, Lena answering with her usual morning cheer.

“ _Genji! Mornin’ love!_ ”

“Good morning Lena,” he replied, moving away from the window. “I wonder if you could do me a favor.”

“ _Sure thing. What’s up?_ ”

“Can you fetch some breakfast and bring it up to the room? I suspect Lúcio will be hungry when he awakes.”

“ _Aww, breakfast in bed? You’re so sweet, Genji. But why not room service?_ ”

“And make Talon’s job potentially easier?” Genji took off his faceplate and ran a hand down his face with a laugh. “I think not, Tracer. If we must play this game then we do it right.”

“ _Gotcha._ ” There was a familiar blast of static as she activated her Chronal Accelerator. “ _One order of brekkie to go! I’ll be there in a jiff._ ”

The comm shut off and Genji chuckled to himself. That woman was ridiculous and amazing at the same time. While he waited for Lena to arrive with the food he busied himself with the rest of his routine to be ready for the day. Delving into his pack he found his daily ration, downing it in one go. It was a formula that Angela had created for him after she’d initially rebuilt him. They’d discovered that his body could handle any food with no issues, just with a much slower rate of digestion. Slow enough that it couldn’t actually keep up with his body’s demands. So Mercy had developed a kind of liquid fuel for him that he took instead, one that was much better received by his new body and provided him with all the sustenance required for him to perform at optimum capacity. Each pouch of formula was flavored differently and Angela actually took great delight in mixing new flavors for him so he would never be bored. So far his favorites were the bakewell tart, pork udon and tapioca pouches.

Today’s was spicy tomato soup, and while not really a breakfast flavor it did the job. And tasted good too. Refueling complete, he moved to the bathroom with a toolkit and started on his daily checks and maintenance. It never took him long unless something had fallen out of place - he had his whole routine down to an art - so by the time Tracer was knocking on the suite door he was just finishing up. He beeped the comm to let her know he’d heard her and was on his way before finishing up and packing away his tools.

Lena greeted him cheerfully with three enormous plates laden with breakfast and a huge mug of coffee, sugar and cream on the side, on a trolley. He allowed her in, and she looked over at Lúcio’s snoozing form partially out of habit and partially out of curiosity.

“I didn’t know what he liked,” she confessed, gaze going back to Genji, “so I kinda got a bit of everything.”

“I am certain he will find something among all of this, thank you Lena.”

“Oh my pleasure love.” She rocked back onto her heels. “That was some concert, huh?”

“Indeed.” Genji folded his arms across his stomach. “It was… like nothing I have ever seen.”

“I’ll bet.” Tracer blinked next to him and nudged his arm. “I saw you, y’know. Watching ‘im. Very distracted of you. Getting a little crush are we?”

Genji contemplated her, then Lúcio. “Perhaps. We shall see. However, this _is_ a mission, and I do not know how much of him is an act and how much is real.”

“No fraternizing with the targets, yeah? Shame. He’s cute.”

“He said the same thing about you,” Genji said with a quiet laugh. “Asked me how he was supposed to work when he was surrounded by such ridiculously cute people and a hot cyborg on his ass 24-7.”

“Aww, really?” Tracer brightened considerably. “The man has taste!” She leaned up to hug him gently. “I’ll leave you to wake ‘im up then, love, I’ve gotta drag McCree’s cute butt down to breakfast before he does something we’ll all regret in his zombie form.”

Genji snickered. “Go save the world, Lena.”

“I will.” She blinked out of the door, leaving behind a giggle and a fangirlish, “Lúcio thinks I’m cute!” and the cyborg simply shook his head and closed the door after her. Bless that girl, he thought. Unlike most people she had never flinched or shied away from his appearance, always ready with a warm word or embrace.

Pushing the cart further into the room Genji then pulled the curtains, allowing the warm Numbani sun to wash over everything. It was enough to cause Lúcio to stir with a grumpy noise, cracking one eye open to first glare at the offending light and then at the cause of said offending light.

“ _Vai se fuder_ ,” the DJ muttered into his pillow, throwing it over his head and snuggling back under his covers.

“After Lena so kindly brought you some breakfast?” Genji asked, amused. “Eat something, then you can sleep as long as you desire.”

There was a long pause, then Lúcio stretched himself out and emerged from his little nest of sheets and pillows. His dreads hung loosely around his shoulders as he sat up, gaze coming back to Genji. “Shut the sun off and I’ll think about it,” he grumbled. Genji obliged partway, leaving enough light left to see by but not enough to annoy Lúcio so much. The Brazilian seemed to realize that was the best he was going to get, and scrambled gracelessly from the bed.

“How do you feel?” asked Genji. “You had quite a night.”

The reminder of the concert caused Lúcio’s mood to lighten, and he began picking at what Tracer had dropped off. “Yeah,” he said contentedly, “I really did.” He selected a vanilla pastry from a pile of sweets and started munching. “I’m tired as all hell, but damn if it wasn’t worth it.”

“Do not worry, I will leave you to your dreams once you have eaten something. You have not had food since lunch yesterday.”

“Will you be joining me?” Lúcio asked, waggling his eyebrows at Genji, who snorted elegantly.

“Somehow I do not think that would be conducive to sleep.”

“It could be.”

“You are terrible.”

“I try.” Lúcio polished off his pastry, suddenly more hungry now he’d actually eaten something. He reached for a bowl of fruit and natural yoghurt instead. “So, question for you then. Can you eat normally?”

Genji was used to either deflecting or ignoring questions about him or his systems, normally because they weren’t asked merely for curiosity’s sake. They were asked with a sense of pity or derision or suspicion, trying to find some other way that he was no longer human, no longer worth anything. However there was nothing malicious in Lúcio’s tone, it was simply a desire to know more. Somehow, Genji didn’t mind the questions coming from the DJ. Lúcio seemed to realize what he’d said, however, and his eyes widened with a piece of guava halfway to his mouth. “Oh god,” he said quickly, “I’m sorry, that was stupidly insensitive of me. You don’t have to answer that.”

“No, it is alright,” assured Genji. “The answer is yes, I can still eat, it just does nothing for me. It is too inefficient a way for me to get what my body requires, so I have a liquid formula I take every morning. Occasionally more if the situation calls for it. I do indulge in food if the urge strikes.”

“Cool.” Lúcio speared a piece of watermelon. “Can I ask another insensitive one?”

Genji nodded once.

“How much of you is actually prosthetics? What is… still original?”

“Still original, ha.” Genji sniggered and settled on the arm of the settee, pulling one of his legs into his lap. “Very little of my original body remains. My face, for the most part-” he gestured to his still unmasked face “-bar the jaw reconstruction. My hair is synthetic, as my head spends so much time encased in a helmet. Pretty much all of my torso is still intact, somehow, though most of my internal organs have been replaced with bio-synthetic replicas more befitting the rest of my systems, and the upper part of my left arm is still mine. Otherwise, that is all.” His hands settled across his raised leg while Lúcio stared at him.

“I didn’t realize it was that bad,” he whispered. “I’m sorry, Genji.”

“For what?”

“What happened. For asking.”

“No harm done,” assured the ninja, gesturing to himself. “I am at peace with who I am now.”

Lúcio let out a breath. “I’m glad. You’re too good a person to have the hand you were dealt.”

Genji didn’t have any response to that, so he said nothing. Instead he simply watched and listened as Lúcio ate more of his breakfast and gushed about the concert. 

_Kami_ but this assignment was going to be the death of him.

  
  


\--

  
  


Tracer and Lúcio spent the entire journey to St Petersburg chattering away happily, exchanging stories, good-natured insults and cultural idiosyncrasies. Jesse managed to sleep through most of it, hat shoved roughly over his face and quiet snores audible in the breaks between the conversation, few that there were. Genji spent most of it sat in the seat behind Lúcio in his low power mode, mulling over the thoughts in his head.

When he was younger and still whole, he had made no reservations about his lifestyle. He was free with his money, alcohol and affections, though any partners he had were always one-night stands. He was too wild and immature for anything long term. Some part of that hadn’t really changed; he was still free with his affections (and alcohol, when he had it) but in completely different ways. With Zenyatta he simply remained by the omnic’s side, defending him where necessary and learning and teaching in equal measure. He knew his master appreciated the time and effort he put into himself and his studies, so that was what he did. Lena and Hana were always great for hugs, or curling up under piles of blankets on a sofa in the common room with a terrible movie on the TV. Jesse was pretty touchy-feely, enjoying pats on the shoulder or back or simply a resting hand somewhere on his person so he knew you were there and that he wasn’t alone. Reinhardt loved good jokes and classical music, while Angela was happy with simply a ‘good morning’ tossed her way.

Lúcio was someone he would have to put under a different category. The only one who really tended to respond to his natural flirting was Jesse, and he knew damn well neither of them meant anything more by it. It was simply how they were. Lúcio, however, just took it and ran with it, throwing almost everything Genji hit him with straight back with just as much as he was given. The DJ was an entity all to himself, a bundle of unstoppable energy that just seemed to infect everyone around him.

When the announcement came that they were descending into St Petersburg Lúcio and Lena buckled themselves in but didn’t stop with their conversation. McCree snorted awake, hat dropping onto the floor, and Genji sniggered at him as he powered up his systems once more. The cowboy shot him a dirty look and a lazy middle finger, but there was no heat behind it. Lúcio turned and noticed Genji’s brighter lights after a few moments, and took the opportunity to wave at him with a pleased smile. The ninja was a little taken aback, but returned the wave nonetheless. Tracer glanced between them and then tugged at Lúcio’s arm to whisper something to him excitedly. They got into another heated conversation, much lower in volume than they had been having. Their furtive and very unsubtle glances his way left him with no doubt what they were talking about, and he shifted uncomfortably.

That apparently didn’t go unnoticed as Lúcio waved at Tracer sharply and shut down whatever their conversation was. She looked surprised, but seemingly dropped it without issue.

Ten minutes later they touched down, and as they disembarked there was time register a loud laugh and a shock of pink hair before they were all swept up into a bear hug courtesy of one Aleksandra Zaryanova. True to her word she had arrived to not only make sure they landed safely but also to make sure Lúcio had the best guide possible to her motherland. Lúcio decided that he very much liked Zarya after she hoisted him onto one of her broad shoulders for a better view of everything and everyone and proceeded to regale him about the history of St Petersburg, giving Genji a massive grin and thumbs up.

The ninja didn’t worry himself about keeping up with his charge or Zarya - nothing would happen to the DJ while she had him in her care, instead turning to the equipment they had brought along. Most of Lúcio’s concert get-up was being flown in with his crew, but his sound blaster, laptop and an overnight bag were things he always brought with him. Genji had very little, a field repairs kit with some tools and his rations and a small bag of personal items as well as some plain clothing, so it was easy for him to grab everything and escort it to the taxi waiting to take them all to their designated hotel.

Lúcio decided he would walk there instead with Zarya. She insisted it wasn’t far and would enjoy “showing little frog man around some more” with gusto. Lúcio fist-pumped and told her the frog man would love that. Lena giggled and started unloading Genji’s things to hoist them into the taxi. “You stay with them, love,” she told him. “We’ll get set up at the hotel. Don’t be too long!”

Genji thanked her and threw what was left into the back of the taxi. Tracer and McCree scrambled in and the vehicle peeled out, leaving Lúcio atop Zarya’s shoulders and Genji standing next to them serenely. The Russian looked down at Genji and grinned. “Would metal man like a lift too?” she boomed, and the ninja chuckled but shook his head.

“Thank you, no. Someone has to be down here to catch Lúcio when he falls off your shoulders from something overly exciting.”

“Hey! I ain’t that bad.” Lúcio stuck his tongue out at Genji as Zarya laughed heartily.

“Do not worry Genji, I will take good care of little frog man.”

“I know.”

  
  


\--

  
  


Zarya left them when they reach the hotel, but not before Lúcio extracted a promise from her that she would play tour guide properly the next day. He skipped into the lobby humming happily before turning to face Genji, scooching backwards towards the elevators.

“I love being a DJ,” he said.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” He swept his arms out to the sides. “All these cool places, man. I would never have been able to see them without my talents. This is my first time out of _Brasil_ , and let me tell you it’s incredible.”

“You’ve never left?”

“With what money?” Lúcio shrugged as his spun on his heel to call the elevator down. “I grew up in a _favela_ Genji, mamãe and I could never afford it. The furthest I ever got from home was Nova Iguaçu, and technically that’s still in the state of Rio.”

“I suppose so,” Genji mused. They hopped into the elevator when it arrived, and the ninja tapped the button for the top floor while Lúcio made a face at it. “You do not like the suites?” he asked, genuinely curious.

“No. I mean, yes, I like them, they’re just… too much.” Lúcio studied himself in the carriage mirrors. “I grew up in a simple place with simple needs and music. All I want is to bring that music to the world, I couldn’t really care less about the perks.”

“Most people would luxuriate in all of those perks. Lose themselves in it, relish everything they never had growing up.” Genji’s distaste for those kinds of people must have shone through his words however neutral he tried to keep them, as Lúcio snickered lightly.

“Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”

“I have had to babysit a lot of entitled brats with similar backgrounds to your own so many times I have lost count. It makes me want to strangle them, but I was hired to keep them from getting killed. Not doing the killing.” A pause. “For once.”

“Ah, yes, your assassin tendencies,” Lúcio nodded, but a strange expression flashed over his face so briefly it was a wonder Genji actually caught it.

“I am no longer, Overwatch does not utilize me in that capacity.” Genji turned his head towards one of Lúcio’s reflections, studying it. “I am glad you are not one of those entitled brats, by the way. It makes this whole thing so much more pleasant.”

“I’ll say.” Lúcio’s reflection smirked at him, as though he could feel Genji’s gaze. “I tell you what though, the perk of having a hot ninja cyborg as a bodyguard is something I could totally get used to.”

Genji shoved the DJ lightly, laughing. They spent the rest of the ride debating first how hot a cyborg ninja body was which then fell into a discussion about cute current celebrities and whether they were actually nice people. Genji had some things to say about some of them, which amused Lúcio no end, and they were in the middle of deciding whether Canada’s golden boy in their world athletics team was hot or not when they arrived at Lúcio’s suite. Tracer and McCree were waiting outside, and Jesse couldn’t help butting in that he thought the Canadian was pretty hot, all things considered.

Genji dismissed it almost immediately. “You have a massive crush on my brother,” he teased, “you have no sense of taste.”

“I resent that,” said Jesse, sniffing and turning away haughtily. “Hanzo’s as fine a man as anyone could meet.”

“Will I get to meet him? He sounds interesting,” Lúcio commented, and Genji snorted.

“Possibly, if he can pull himself out of his emo phase long enough. He mentioned he might come see me.”

Lúcio met Lena with a high five before they all piled into his room. “Didja tell him emo went outta style back in 2040?”

“So many times, but alas he is nothing if not… stubborn.” Genji immediately perched on the edge of the settee. “Also, prickly. And distant. And strict. And haughty. And has high standards. And a penchant for cowboys. And-”

“Don’t be mean,” chided Lena, though she was barely holding in her giggles. “Hanzo in’t that bad.”

“No,” Genji laughed, “he is not. Those are just his bad traits.”

“You saying his penchant for cowboys is a bad trait?” asked Lúcio before he could stop himself, and neither Genji nor Tracer could hold their laughter in as Jesse’s eyes went wide and he looked between them.

“Say what now?” was all he said, which only made them laugh harder and Lúcio started joining in.

Eventually they wound down again, Jesse looking more than a little put out that they had been laughing at him. Tracer bounded over to him with giggly apologies, a quick hug and to perch on the armrest of his chair. The four of them spent the rest of the evening simply chatting, conversation flowing from Hanzo to siblings in general (McCree talked about his three sisters in great detail) to family to holidays to places they’d been and so forth. Before they knew it it was half past one in the morning and Lena was practically asleep on Jesse’s shoulder. He nudged her gently to rouse her just enough that they could get to their rooms, but she wasn’t especially happy about it and whined pathetically as they left. “But Lu’s room is awesome, sure we can’t stay?”

When they were gone Lúcio stretched, full-bodied and with an accompanying appreciative groan, and hopped off the sofa. He wandered up to Genji and peered at him, the ninja tilting his head in question.

“Can you take your faceplates off again?” Lúcio asked softly.

Genji obliged, carefully disengaging the plates and exposing his face in its entirety. Lúcio looked pleased, reaching up to map Genji’s cheek. “Why?” the ninja asked.

Lúcio didn’t say anything at first, simply slid his gaze and fingers over Genji’s visage. The cyborg couldn’t help leaning into the caress; it was so nice to have flesh and blood touch him so willingly. Zenyatta had been the first he had allowed on his own terms, but as wonderful as his master was his fingers were still metal, despite their comfort and emotional warmth. Lúcio’s careful explorations were different but oh so welcome. When the DJ did speak it startled Genji slightly; he hadn’t realized how much of a doze he’d slipped into.

“‘Cause your eyes are the prettiest I’ve ever seen,” Lúcio murmured quietly. “It’s nice to see them, instead of your visor.”

Said eyes widened. There were a lot of things people had said to him or about him, both before the fight with his brother and after, but never about his eyes. Inexplicably Genji was suddenly very embarrassed, and he was sure he was blushing as he glanced away and started taking his arm armor panels off. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Lúcio left his face alone then and stepped back, and Genji wasn’t sure if he was thankful for the tension bleeding out of him or mourning for the loss. “Night, man, I’ll see you in the morning.” With that he vanished into his bedroom, leaving Genji alone to take his armor off and contemplate what in the seven hells just happened.

  
  


\--

  
  


Genji was no stranger to nightmares. He would have them often while younger and still part of the Shimada-gumi, and even more after his… accident. Zenyatta helped him chase them away as he found peace with himself, but that didn’t mean they didn’t still plague him from time to time.

Which was why when he heard faint whimpers coming from Lúcio’s room he pulled out of low power mode instantly and slipped silently to the DJ’s bedside. He was tossing and turning with an expression of fear and panic, murmuring in desperate Portuguese, forgotten sheets in a tangled puddle around his waist. Sweat was starting to form across his forehead and shoulders, and Genji didn’t waste any more time in taking Lúcio by the arms and giving him a firm shake, repeating his name gently but loudly enough to bring him round. It took a few tries, but Lúcio shot upright with a gasp after a moment and sat rigid for several long seconds, breathing heavy and brown eyes wide. 

Genji stepped back and perched himself on the edge of the bed. “It is alright, Lúcio,” he soothed, reaching out a hand for the other to take should he need an anchor, “you are safe. You are here, with me. Nothing will harm you. It was just a dream.”

Eventually Lúcio came to his senses enough that he moved, taking Genji’s hand in one and using the other to cover his face. “ _Isso não foi divertido_ ,” he muttered, grip tightening. “I’m sorry if I woke you, Genji.”

“We all have them,” Genji replied, wrapping his fingers more securely around Lúcio’s and trying to ignore how natural it felt. “What was happening?”

“I was back in Vishkar, the night I lost my legs. I watched them tear down my _favela_ , set it ablaze, watched my friends die, my father shot-” Lúcio stopped with a hitched breath and drew his legs up into himself, tears starting to track down his cheeks. “All my fault,” he whispered.

“Vishkar’s actions were not your fault,” Genji pointed out. “Nor were their reactions to your revolution. They are an entity to themselves, it is not something you could, can or ever will control. You must learn to accept that and move on.”

There was silence from Lúcio for a long time, then the hand covering his face left and instead touched at Genji’s unarmored chest. “Experience?” he asked.

“Yes.” The ninja tried not to squirm under Lúcio’s fingers. “I was so angry at myself, the world and Overwatch for doing this to me, turning me into a freak. I was conflicted for so long. Was I myself? Was Shimada Genji still who I am? I felt like I had lost my humanity, lost myself. Master Zenyatta was the one who helped me come to terms with it all, release my anger and accept Shimada Genji as he is now.”

“I see.” Lúcio nodded slightly, as though to himself, and Genji gave him a smile.

“Would you like to see my dragon?” he asked, abruptly changing the subject.

“What?”

“My dragon. My spirit guardian. It is part of the Shimada heritage, Hanzo and I both have them.”

“You have… dragons?” Lúcio’s eyes went wide, and he shifted to sit cross-legged on the bed. “No way. I don’t believe you.”

“Is that so? I would not look behind you then,” laughed Genji.

Lúcio’s curiosity clearly got the better of him, as he turned and gasped to see a bright green, slightly translucent dragon, about two and a half feet long, curled up serenely on the pillows. She lifted her snout towards the DJ, tail flicking, then seemed to morph her expression into fond exasperation as her eyes found Genji’s.

 _You and the pretty ones_ , she teased. Genji had the grace to flush slightly. “Lúcio, meet Soba. She is my guardian, my protector and my lifesaver. She is the one who kept me alive long enough for help to reach me when I had my accident.”

“Oh,” said Lúcio faintly, still taking her in. He reached towards her, then faltered. “Can I touch you?” he asked her, waiting for a bob of the head before continuing. He scratched at the top of her head, making Soba growl happily. “Thank you for saving him,” Lúcio added. “ _Meu Deus_ this is weird.”

Genji watched her push into Lúcio’s hand, asking for more. “She likes you.”

“I’m glad.” Lúcio started rubbing her with both hands, causing her to practically melt into a happy puddle of dragon. “Does Hanzo’s have a name?”

“Hanzo has two. And yes, they are Udon and Somen.”

“Did you honestly name your dragons after noodles?” Lúcio laughed, turning his attention back to Genji. The last few cobwebs from his nightmare were leaving his face, and Genji allowed himself a small internal dance of victory.

“We were young when they came to us, and at the time it seemed like a good idea.” Genji shrugged helplessly, grinning. “We tried to change them when we got older and realized that actually, they were pretty stupid names for such magnificent creatures, but no. We were stuck with noodles.”

“That’s the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.” Lúcio stopped his ministrations when Soba slid into his lap and then up around his shoulders, purring happily. The DJ nibbled his bottom lip to keep from snickering. “She’s like a cat. You have a cat-dragon, Genji.”

“They say the dragons take after their masters. So really, no one should be that surprised.”

“And why does Hanzo get two?”

“We do not know.” Genji reached over to scratch Soba under the chin. “The dragons choose their master, not the other way around. Somen and Udon have never specified either, they simply chose him.”

Lúcio was silent for several minutes, simply enjoying Soba purring, growling and winding her way around him. He giggled when she stuck her nose up his shirt, complaining she was cold. At some point though he shifted closer to Genji and half hugged him, allowing Soba to go back to her master and gracefully fade from view. “Thank you,” Lúcio said quietly. “For showing her to me. And taking my mind off things.”

Genji was surprised by the contact, but accepted it readily enough. “You are welcome.” He dared to place a hand on top of the loose dreadlocks spilling over his shoulder. “Can you sleep some more? You will need your rest, _kaeru_.”

“I think so.”

“Soba says she will watch over you, if you so desire.”

“That would be appreciated, at least until I actually fall asleep.” Lúcio scrambled back under the covers, pulling them up from their pool at his waist. Soba re-appeared on the side table, curled up contentedly and casting a vague green glow around the room. Lúcio smiled at her and snuggled down and Genji slipped silently out the room to leave them to it. The ninja settled back on the sofa as he had been before, powering down once more but with a smile on his face.

  
  


\--

  
  


Lúcio’s second concert in front of the St Petersburg crowd was as much of a resounding success as Numbani had been. After his initial stage debut and its reception Lúcio’s confidence had sky-rocketed, and this time there were no breakdowns, no nervous pacings, no worries about whether everything had been done right. Social media in Africa had blown up following his performance, and it had hyped up his tour even more which kind of blindsided Lúcio but he was hardly going to complain. People were talking, about him, his music, his career, his accomplishments and everything they felt he was standing for. It buoyed him for his second showing like nothing else. He trusted Overwatch’s additions to his security and had accepted Genji’s simple “good luck” with a blinding grin before hopping up onto stage.

Zarya had kept her promise and shown Lúcio around St Petersburg the second day he was there, leading him through all the best parts of the city and loving his awed reactions. While technically a Siberian native, Zarya had travelled all over Russia, learned all she could wherever she went in between her training and competitions because people from remote villages in the Siberian tundra never got the kinds of opportunities she did. Russia was her blood and she never let anyone forget it. Lúcio simply loved visiting new places, seeing new cultures and meeting new people, and the fact he had such an enthusiastic tour guide made it all the more amazing to him. Genji had enjoyed himself as well; he’d learned a lot that day about Russia, things he’d never thought about before.

Lúcio’s team arrived that night, and they spent the next day setting up at the venue. Zarya was there once again to help, and drafted herself into the security force for the evening. She got more than a few side-eyes of both appreciation and wariness when she started carrying around equipment they would normally use at least a pallet jack for, effortlessly hoisting it onto broad shoulders or tucking it under her arm. The work went much faster with her help, and setup only took around three hours. It left them with the rest of the day to work on security and emergency procedures.

The two nights leading up to the concert, however, fell into a similar vein to the first night in St Petersburg. Lúcio didn't necessarily have more nightmares, but Soba remained visible each evening, a comforting and soothing presence. Lúcio never had to ask, she just appeared. 

Genji was admittedly a little confused by the whole thing; his dragon had never shown such interest in anyone like this before, bar his master. She stayed quiet about it all, but it was never like any of his or Hanzo’s dragons needed a reason for anything. To call upon one to aid in battle was a whole different kettle of fish to controlling one. He tried to take it in stride, act like it was all completely natural, and Lúcio didn’t seem to cotton on that it wasn’t.

Their last night before moving on to Shizuoka, when Lúcio just collapsed onto his bed face first and fell asleep like that, Soba unfurled herself from the side table and came to wrap herself around Genji’s neck and shoulders. She liked the contact with her master, unlike Somen and Udon who weren’t very tactile. She never said a word, simply observed as Genji detached Lúcio’s skates and removed the audio additions to his outfit. Pulling the covers over the DJ’s slumbering form Genji took just a selfish second to play with the dreadlocks spread out on the pillows, then pulled his hand away sharply as though he’d been burned. It curled into a fist and he marched back to his sofabed, settling lotus style and gritting his teeth.

He was more professional than this. He had to be. He needed to stay focused.

Soba chittered quietly into his ear and Genji reached up to rub at her head with a sigh. He wouldn’t have agreed to this assignment if he had known how difficult it was going to be not getting swayed by his energy-fueled, life-loving, endlessly enthusiastic and honest charge.

  
  


\--

  
  


“Did you know Genji has an actual freaking _dragon_?” Lúcio said, more stating something than asking a question, plopping down next to Lena and Jesse in the back of the plane.

“Mm-hm.” Lena tipped her head backwards. “It’s right scary to watch in battle, I can tell you that.”

“Really?” Lúcio tapped at his chin a little thoughtfully. “Soba doesn’t seem all that scary.”

“Oh god,” Jesse cackled, hiding a snort behind his hand. “He still hasn’t got her to change it, has he?”

“Nah. I think she likes it.” Lúcio looked back at where his bodyguard had settled himself into meditation, the lack of lights shining through his armor indicating his low power state. “She’s been out almost every night we’ve been here, keeping me company. She doesn’t talk to me or anything, but it’s nice having her there, y’know?”

“You serious?” Jesse asked, sounding a little incredulous as his laughter died down. Lúcio gave him a bit of an odd look.

“Yeah. Why?”

“‘Cos it’s mighty weird, that’s why.” McCree shifted in his seat to face the DJ more. “Genji ‘n I used to work together back in Blackwatch. He told me a little about his dragon then, ‘n Hanzo has told me more since. They don’t reveal themselves to no one but their master without good reason. Anyone who does see ‘em, means they’re real special to their master.”

“But we see them in fights sometimes,” Lena said, sounding more intrigued than argumentative. “I mean, Genji’s just terrifying when ‘e’s coming right atcha glowing green and a spirit on ‘is sword, and you better run if you ever see Hanzo’s dragons tearing down the road.”

“That’s different.” Jesse also took the chance to glance back at the ninja. “A Shimada can call ‘em forth at any point in battle, and they will come. But if it’s sommat they ain’t needed for, well, you ain’t gonna see ‘em. Not unless you’re special.”

Lena giggled, clapping her hands briefly and drawing out an “oooooooo!” before lowering her voice conspiratorially. “Oh Lu, Genji _does_ have a crush on you! I knew it!”

“You think?” Lúcio seemed to brighten at the idea.

“I’d say so,” Jesse offered. “Ain’t every day them dragons show themselves, you know. And Genji guards his very, very closely now. He owes her everything. He trusts you.”

Lúcio made a thoughtful noise and picked at the hem of his shirt. “I think Genji and I are gonna have to have a talk when we get to Hanamura.” He then winked at Lena. “I mean, it’s very unprofessional for a bodyguard to go around mooning after their charge. What kind of organization is Overwatch anyway?”

“Well, where do I begin?” Lena said in all mock seriousness, and the three of them fell about laughing when she couldn’t hold her expression straight. They spent the rest of the plane ride first teasing Lúcio about his amorous shadow and then letting Jesse regale them with stories of the mischief he and Genji got up to while they were in Blackwatch together, acting out the appropriate reactions courtesy of their oh-so-exasperated leader Gabriel Reyes and, on occasion, Jack or Ana.

If Genji heard their conversation he gave no outward signs of it, as every time Lúcio glanced at him he would not have moved. At one point the DJ could swear he saw Soba peeking out at him from over Genji’s shoulder, casting a pale green glow across the ninja’s collarbone, but he blinked and she was gone and Lúcio wondered if she had actually been there at all.

  
  


\--

  
  


When they arrived at Shizuoka Genji was utterly delighted to discover that not only had Hanzo flown in to greet his brother but Zenyatta had as well. The two of them appeared to be in casual conversation whilst waiting for their group to arrive, and Genji simply took a moment leaning against a nearby wall to let it sink in. His master and older brother actually having what looked like a perfectly civil chat, and Hanzo didn’t look like he’d rather be elsewhere.

They were interrupted rather gracelessly by the arrival of Lena, who blinked next to them and startled them both with a chipper “Hi!”, and Jesse, who came up and leaned on Hanzo’s shoulder with his metal arm, drawling out a greeting. Genji finally pushed himself off the wall to join them, Lúcio following closely behind. He seemed a little subdued today, more lost in his thoughts than usual, but acknowledged his brother and master readily enough. When he realized that Zenyatta was of the Shambali monks his curiosity was piqued, and he enthusiastically started grilling the omnic about it. Zenyatta took it with no little amusement, and from his replies he was quite happy to share what he could.

Outside the airport Lúcio had come up short when he realized what was waiting for the six of them. He squealed excitedly, bouncing around a sleek black limousine with all the zeal of a eight year old child in a free-for-all candy store.

“I’ve never been in a limo, this is so freaking _cool_!” he enthused, peering into the tinted windows as though he could maybe see inside. Lena laughed at him and opened one of the doors.

“After you love,” she said with a wink, and there was another excited squee and a blur of headphones and dreadlocks flew into the limo. He immediately took over three of the seats, lounging with a cheeky grin until Jesse physically kicked him off and proceeded to ignore the hurt puppy eyes the DJ sent his way with a snort.

On the way to the hotel Lúcio trailed off interrogating Zenyatta and began on Hanzo, asking about his training, his dragons and his ideals. The archer answered them all as best he could, and seemed a little surprised but not ungrateful that the DJ seemed to sense when a topic was getting too close to home and veered away from it.

By the time they reached where they were staying Lúcio learned a lot about Hanzo, some of which neither Jesse or Lena had known either, and a little more about Somen and Udon. Hanzo had sent a frown towards Genji when Lúcio mentioned them, and the ninja shrugged a shoulder and discreetly nodded at his back. Genji had also had no time to talk to Hanzo yet as the DJ had monopolized it. Not that the younger Shimada minded so much, his charge’s boundless thirst for anything different was insatiable and rather endearing. They would simply have to meet up later. Instead he contented himself with observing as they all piled out of the limo, grabbed what equipment they had and meandered into the hotel as a very visible group.

After they were all settled Hanzo excused himself for some air, and Genji followed without hesitation leaving Lúcio in the capable hands of the other agents. They fled to the roof, blessed solitude and the distant sounds of the city wrapping comfortably around them. Neither of them said anything at first, instead simply stood shoulder to shoulder enjoying the peace.

Eventually though, Genji broke the silence, his low Japanese perfectly audible.

“I’m glad you came, _anija_.”

“Oddly enough,” Hanzo replied with a slight smile, “so am I.” Genji removed his ever-present faceplate and filter, and Hanzo couldn’t help the widening of his lips. “I thought you were done with the whole babysitting business,” he added wryly.

“So did I. However, this was a mission, and not everyone has the patience that I do. Besides, it was worth it. Lúcio is a good person.”

“Enough to show your dragon, apparently.”

“ _I_ didn’t show anything. Soba decided she liked him, and that was enough for her.” Genji nudged his older brother’s shoulder. “You know as well as I that we do not control the dragons.”

“I do.” As Hanzo spoke, Somen and Udon wrapped themselves around his neck and craned themselves out towards Genji for head rubs. The younger obliged to happy growls. “These two keep playing hide and seek with McCree, and have not yet caught on to the fact that he doesn’t know they are playing. Congratulating themselves on winning a game no one else knows is going on.”

Genji couldn’t hide a giggle. “Poor McCree. He thinks Lúcio so special for seeing my dragon when yours are just out of his eyesight.”

“You like this DJ, though.” Hanzo didn’t look at Genji, but a slight smile played at the corners of his lips. “Dusting off those old skills, are we?”

Genji snorted, sliding an arm around one of Hanzo’s. “Oh, you know me _anija_. Ever the player.”

“Of course.” Hanzo finally met Genji’s gaze, and they held it for a few seconds before both of them started laughing. It was light and short, but Genji couldn’t help the feeling of elation flooding his being that Hanzo was here, laughing alongside him and simply talking, like they used to do as kids.

When the laughter died down Genji was pleased to note Hanzo hadn’t shrugged off his touch yet. He tugged lightly on the arm he was holding though, as though he were six once more, and radiated mischief at his older brother’s nonplussed expression. “Hey Hanzo, how many pranks do you think we can get away with while we’re here?”

Hanzo groaned, pushing Genji away with mock irritation.

“We are here to work,” he said huffily, “not play.”

“We can do both!”

“No.”

“Spoilsport.” Genji pouted, and Somen left Hanzo’s shoulder to give Genji’s face a good long lick before fading away with Udon.

“Yes yes, I’m the big bad brother.” Hanzo took a long, slow breath, then started back off the roof. “Come, _otōto_ , we have a hotel to secure and much work ahead of us.”

“Way ahead of you.” Genji bounded past Hanzo to an exasperated huff and back into the hotel. 

Zenyatta volunteered to stay with Lúcio while the others started security prep and a perimeter sweep, but the DJ had shaken his head and requested his bodyguard stay instead. Apparently they had some things to discuss, and Lena gave Lúcio a wink before they all left him alone with Genji.

“Talk?” the ninja asked, placing his hands on his hips. “About what, _kaeru_?”

“What that means, for starters,” said Lúcio curiously. Genji’s lips twisted upwards faintly.

“ _Kaeru_? It means ‘frog’. Or ‘to return’. Depends on how you use it.”

“Ahh. I see.” Lúcio flopped onto one of the seats ungracefully. “I like it.”

Genji briefly entertained the idea of sitting on top of Lúcio just to squash him further into his seat, but decided against it and instead settled on another chair nearby, tossing his faceplate and filter on the armrest. “So what did you wish to discuss?”

“Us,” the DJ said simply. “McCree told me that dragons only show themselves to people they and their master really like, that I must mean something to you for Soba to have made herself known like that.”

“McCree likes to exaggerate a little,” mused Genji, “but he is not wrong. It is as much trust as it is being special. I trust you. And yes, I find you intriguing, charming and I believe you are a good person. I do like you. However, it was not I who made the decision to show you Soba. She did that by herself.”

Lúcio blinked. “A dragon wanted to meet me?”

“Indeed. She must suspect something I do not.”

“Yeah? I wonder what.” The DJ shrugged a little. “Maybe I’m a big deal, but I’m not special. Just trying to make my way through life like everyone else.”

“Somehow I think it is more than that,” said Genji dryly. “You may not see yourself as special, but others do. Myself included.”

“Aww, look at you go,” teased Lúcio, “such a charmer. You know just what to say to a guy.”

“I am a Shimada. Comes with the territory.”

“Well then.” Lúcio got up from his perch and placed his hands on Genji’s knees, leaning towards the ninja. “Can I ask you something, Shimada-san?”

“... _Mochiron_.”

“What would you say, with that silver tongue of yours, if I said I wanted to kiss you right now?”

Genji smirked slightly. “That it would be highly unprofessional.”

The DJ snorted. “Ah, yes, the illegal band of rogues and outcasts getting “unprofessional”. Whoever would have thought?”

“Well, when you put it like that, I would probably say why have you not already?” replied Genji good-naturedly.

“Just checkin’.” Lúcio leaned forwards and kissed Genji carefully, smile very evident. The ninja brought a hand up to Lúcio’s cheek as he closed his eyes and leaned back in his seat, forcing the Brazilian to change from leaning on his legs to sitting on them. Lúcio broke the kiss only briefly to make himself more comfortable and then dived back in for more eagerly, much less gentle this time. Genji didn’t mind; he gave as good as he got and the two of them sat there for some time trading kisses and touches. Lúcio found Genji’s cybernetics fascinating to feel, and paid almost as much attention to his prosthetics as he did to his lips.

Genji, on the other hand, was more concerned with how much of Lúcio’s skin he could map out from their current position. He’d turned the tactile sensitivity up to full in his hands and was using them to slide slowly up the DJ’s back and sides, enjoying the lithe muscle underneath shifting as Lúcio did.

Eventually they pulled apart, hazel eyes meeting rich brown as they studied each other. Lúcio then gave Genji a disarming smile.

“You really do have the prettiest eyes,” he murmured.

“No one but you has ever picked up on them. They are pretty generic among the Japanese.”

“It’s not just the color,” Lúcio said, shaking his head slightly. “It’s what’s _in_ them. There’s something really… peaceful about them. And powerful.”

“I shall take that as a compliment.” Genji reached up and indulged in something he’d wanted to do for a while, tangling his fingers properly into Lúcio’s dreadlocks and carding slowly through them. The DJ made a noise of approval, tipping his head back a little.

“So you should.”

Genji simply grinned, leaning forwards to press gentle kisses along the hollow of Lúcio’s throat. “I would that I could make you sing for me,” he murmured. “Just for me.”

“You couldn’t?” Lúcio asked, a little breathless.

“Perhaps. But definitely not in the way I would like.” Genji stopped with one last kiss along Lúcio’s jaw before allowing the DJ to meet his eyes again. “Regardless, I believe this is best saved until after this threat to your life is gone. I do have an assignment, and I intend to see it through properly.”

“I get it.” Lúcio’s smile softened, and he satisfied himself with one last kiss before leaning back. “You’re really something, Genji.”

“I could say the same about you, _kaeru_.” 

  
  


\--

  
  


Despite the new turn of events between them nothing particularly changed in their interactions. They had had a comfortable relationship up until that point, and neither of them saw fit to change it. It was how they worked. They fit well together.

Still, Genji couldn’t help the little internal happy dance every time Lúcio sent him one of those charming smiles or the discreet blowing of a kiss. He was never so thankful for his faceplate than during those moments, or he would have been visibly red to the ears. The younger Shimada had been one hell of a player in his youth, but everything that had happened since had, despite giving him perspective and a purpose he lacked before, knocked a lot of his confidence. The casual flirting with McCree was one thing, but this whole thing with Lúcio was totally different and it left Genji feeling just a little flustered.

And flattered. He knew he wasn’t particularly attractive anymore, and his bio-synthetic body just didn’t help in any way. So Lúcio’s attentions, while not making a heck of a lot of sense to Genji, weren’t unwelcome. And there was nothing about the DJ that lead Genji to believe he was being strung along in any way. Lúcio wanted him, and it was nice.

Still, he wondered as he sat on the edge of Lúcio’s bed while the DJ slept, there was something that was bugging him about the whole situation.

“Why, Soba?” he asked aloud quietly, his mother tongue soft but clear in the air. His dragon lifted her snout from where she was curled up on the bedside table.

_Why what, young master?_

“Why did you want to meet him? Why reveal yourself? Why… him?”

Soba regarded her handler with a look of patient amusement.

 _Because I realized you would be good for each other. You are both broken in different ways, and he can help you heal more than you already have. Regardless, he is a good man. I wish someone to take care of you, young master, in every way I cannot._ She slipped off the table and into Genji’s lap, placing her claws on his chest. _Besides, I like him. That is reason enough._

“You like Lena too, but you’ve never shown yourself to her outside battle,” Genji pointed out.

 _I am aware_ , Soba said serenely.

The ninja groaned and shoved at his dragon lightly. “You are such a pain sometimes,” he groused.

_Then I chose the right Shimada to give myself to._

“Ouch. That hurts."

 _I don’t believe you_. Soba nuzzled at her master’s cheek, getting a head scratch in return, before fading from view. Genji sat and stared at his hands before a soft sleepy voice interrupted him, making him jump.

She talks to you?” Lúcio asked, barely awake. His voice held a much heavier accent to his English than usual, likely only just sparing the brain power to not be speaking in his native tongue.

“From time to time, yes. I keep her very close, and we are as one.” Genji reached down and traced Lúcio’s face with gentle fingers. “Why are you awake? Go back to sleep, _kaeru_.”

“Mmm, I will. Just heard you talking, is all.” The DJ shifted so he was comfortable once more. “You should power down too, you know.”

“I will, do not worry.”

“Alright.” And with that Lúcio’s breathing evened out quickly once more, slipping back into dreamland. Genji spent a few more moments watching the DJ, wondering what, exactly, it was about him that was just so compelling and why Soba had chosen him, then moved from the bed to the sofa to settle into his powered down state. He almost heard the snort of amusement and swish of a content tail right before he finished, and decided next time Soba showed her face he was going to noogie it, ancient and majestic beast or not.

  
  


\--

  
  
Genji surveyed the concert hall with a critical eye from the rafters. Everything was in place, and it was only four hours before the performance was due to begin. Lena and Hanzo had been very thorough with their security measures, the ninja chipping in every so often. Both Shimadas knew how their family operated, and Lena was more familiar with Talon’s movements. Jesse provided some insights that probably would have been overlooked otherwise, though whether that knowledge came from their Blackwatch days or the cowboy’s rather colorful history Genji didn’t like to speculate.

Regardless, everything was about as secure at it could possibly be, and that was the most important thing. He dropped from the rafters when Lúcio appeared with Zenyatta at his side, the two of them chatting enthusiastically. It gave Genji great joy to see that his master and his ward were getting along wonderfully, though with Lúcio’s personality it was hardly a surprise. He could probably befriend the Reaper.

He was greeted by both of them as he straightened.

“Lúcio was just telling me that Soba paid him a visit. Several, in fact,” said Zenyatta serenely. “It’s wonderful to hear.”

“She is as drawn to him as she is to you, master,” agreed Genji.

“I’m still convinced you have a cat, not a dragon,” Lúcio interjected wryly. “How’s everything looking?”

“No complaints. Everything seems perfectly solid. We will still need to be extra vigilant however, with the Shimada-gumi lurking around as well as the potential for Talon. We still do not know when they will strike or how. It is good to have the extra help.” 

“We don’t even know if they will,” soothed Lúcio, tapping a knuckle briefly under Genji’s chin. “ _Relaxa amor_ , stressing about it will do no good.”

“I know. I worry. I would not see you come to harm, _kaeru_.”

“You’re so sweet. It’ll be fine.” The DJ turned to Zenyatta. “Want a sneak preview of the concert, Zen? I got a couple beats I know you’ll enjoy.”

“That would be wonderful,” replied the omnic enthusiastically. “I am so very much looking forward to tonight.”

Genji watched the two of them disappear backstage and then waved to Lena as she blinked from rafter to rafter, just because she could.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
The concert went wonderfully.

The crowd adored Lúcio, hyping up every beat, harmony, chord, swing and dive of the music. Either Lúcio was magic or he was using some of that Vishkar tech in his sound system because normal music never swayed people quite like this, Genji mused. He and Hanzo were both on high vantage points in the theater, Zenyatta patrolled the wings with McCree and Tracer ghosting amongst the crowd. Lúcio’s own security force filled anything left over, and it was a formidable place to get into.

Which was probably why the concert itself went so smoothly. The ride back to the hotel… not so much. Their driver, as it turned out, wasn’t the original one they had booked. Instead one of the Talon agents had slipped into his place and had driven Lúcio, Genji and McCree somewhere that wasn’t the hotel. By the time any of them realized something wasn’t right they were well past the hotel. Genji began to withdraw his blade, but before either he or McCree could do anything there was an extremely painful, lengthy jolt through his systems and he blacked out completely.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
Genji came to in a concrete pen surrounded by metal bars, weaponless and maskless. It was damp, cold and very much not what he was expecting. Well, perhaps ‘came to’ was the wrong phrase. His systems were sluggish like they had never been before, and his head was pounding and groggy. He could barely move and it took him several minutes to adjust his sight so he could actually take anything in.

“Easy there partner,” came McCree’s gentle voice from his left. A hand hooked itself under Genji’s arm and helped him sit up, back against some of the bars. “How ya feelin’?”

“Like I am currently being trampled by Hanzo’s dragons again,” Genji said slowly, a little slurred. It was taking all of his concentration to just form words, let alone English words. “What happened?” His head came up then and he looked around the room, finding it empty apart from them. “Where is Lúcio?”

“I ain’t sure. They took him while you were still out. As for what happened, well… welcome to one of the Shimada holdings, apparently.” McCree forced him to sit still again. “There ain’t nothin’ we can do right now, so just settle ‘n let whatever’s affecting ya run its course.”

“But-”

“No, partner. You’ll be in a much better position to help if you ain’t feelin’ like a tumbleweed in a hurricane.”

An apt description, Genji decided. He was still feeling incredibly bad, which was unusual. His body normally would have cleared itself of any poisons or toxins by now, and he tended to feel viruses leaving his few actual systems in a very short space of time. There wasn’t much that could keep him down for long, and one had to be exceptionally familiar with his body to render him as useless as this. There were only four people in the world with that kind of knowledge: Angela Ziegler, Tekhartha Zenyatta, Genji himself and… Genji’s eyes widened as the implications of that set in, and his turned his gaze up to Jesse.

“Shit,” he breathed. “She has him, doesn’t she? That’s what this was all about.”

“I ain’t a hundred percent sure, but it’s the only reason I can think of.”

“We have to get him back. We have to get him out of here.” Genji tried to stand once more, but again he was pushed back, more forcefully this time, into the bars.

“Not until yer better, partner. You ain’t no help to no one like this.” Jesse rocked back on his heels and glanced anxiously towards the door. It was only at that point Genji realized that Jesse’s artificial arm was missing entirely, his hat was gone, Peacekeeper nowhere to be found, and the telltale glow in the back of his eyes that belied his Deadeye curse was so faded it had nearly vanished. So he wasn’t the only one affected. Good to know.

“Can you run?” he asked slowly, still trying to pronounce his words correctly.

“Hmm?” Jesse turned, then looked down at himself. “Yeah, I think so. She only got my eyes. And my arm.”

“Good. We may need to soon. How long has Lúcio been gone for?”

“I ain’t sure. I woke up, he was there for five minutes, she came ‘n I ain’t seen him since. I feel asleep after, so I dunno how much time has passed. You were still out.”

“Shit.” Genji shut his eyes and thunked his head back against the bars.

Neither of them moved or spoke much further, Genji meditating as much as he could through the haziness and Jesse probably contemplating their situation. The ninja had an idea how to get out of it, but it required him to be more alert and functional. McCree could likely come up with a good plan as well, but it would be a case of whose came to fruition first and finding Lúcio. He tried to reach out to Soba and got a very muted response, like she was struggling to hold on to him. He almost felt like he was in a dead zone of communication with his dragon, and didn’t like it at all. It reminded him too much of the night he almost died, where Soba keeping him alive almost killed her as well. He fought to keep from slipping into those memories.

Sometime later, though how much neither Genji nor Jesse had much idea, there were light footfalls outside the bars and an uncomfortably familiar face peered in at them.

“Well well well. Jesse McCree and Genji Shimada, finally awake.” A smooth Irish voice greeted them, something neither man ever really wanted to hear again. He finally felt Soba more clearly as she howled in agitation but he pushed her back, eyeing the newcomer from where he was slumped on the floor. Jesse hissed in her direction.

“Moira. Where’s Lúcio?”

“Such a hostile greeting after all this time, child. Don’t worry, he’s in perfectly capable hands. He’s responding rather well, actually, much better than projected.”

That made Genji angry, and he sat up a little more. He was feeling more level-headed after his meditations, but still not up to strength. Moira, however, didn’t need to know that. “What are you doing to him? Why him in particular?”

“Oh come now Genji, you’ve heard his music,” Moira snapped. “He’s one of a kind, his music does things to people no one else’s does. Imagine what that could become. Imagine what he could do when given the right guidance, given the right… incentive.” Her right hand glowed, she pointed it right at Genji and a feeling of fuzziness began to overwhelm him again. She didn’t leave it long, clearly deeming it unneccessary, but gave Jesse the same treatment. His Deadeye faded once more. “Luckily I don’t need to imagine, gentlemen, I’m in the process of doing.”

She swept away after that, and Genji watched her go before getting unsteadily to his feet. He pulled Jesse upright as well. “Can you still run?” he asked, urgently.

“Yeah, yeah I think so. Dang, though, what did she hit us with?”

“I do not know. Something of her own design, I believe. It makes Soba… hard to reach.”

“And my Deadeye.” McCree settled against the bars, crossing his arms over his chest. “You got an idea then?”

“Yes. I told you about it, once. Do you remember? It was not long after I was recruited into Blackwatch. You and I, we got ourselves into something we thought we would never get out of.”

“I remember, the Portugal mission.” Jesse frowned, then inhaled sharply and dropped his arms. “Oh no, you can’t be thinkin’ what I think you’re thinkin’, Genji. I thought you said that shit could kill you!”

“And it still may. However, back then I was… unstable. Insecure. Angry, alone. That is not conducive to the process and can easily kill the vessel. Balance must be present for it to be effective. I am, now. I am the best me I have ever been.”

“But you’re a cyborg,” McCree stressed, gripping Genji by the shoulders. “You said this changes you physically. How do you change that which ain’t flesh ‘n blood?”

“We will find out.”

“Genji-”

“Then tell me you have another plan,” the ninja hissed, rounding on his cowboy companion. “Tell me you have thought of something else to get us out of here before Lúcio is killed. Or worse.” 

Jesse’s silence said everything.

Genji stepped back, closed his eyes, and _pulled_ hard at Soba. It was difficult at the best of times to summon his dragon without the channel of his blade. _Ryūichi moji_ was created for that specific purpose and it was so easy and fast to bring her into battle. Alternatively the wielder of the dragon also had the ability to merge with their charge should they so choose. It was not, however, an easy or painless transition. Merging with a dragon changed the vessel in a lot of unpredictable, physical ways. It was painful, dangerous, and if they were not mentally prepared or in a good place, liable to kill them as easily as work.

Trying to summon his dragon without his blade whilst out of it on whatever Moira had done to him, unable to truly talk to Soba and worried sick about Lúcio? Maybe not his finest idea, but it was the only path he could see open to them.

And he’d never told anyone apart from McCree about it. Moira wouldn’t know.

Soba didn’t respond completely at Genji’s initial pull. _Shit, still too out of it_. She roared in his head though, and he knew she’d heard him. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, and once his lungs were empty he tugged at Soba again, this time as hard as he possibly could, and nearly stumbled from the sheer _rage_ his dragon projected as she crashed through him with the force of all her will. He had only ever felt her this mad once before, when she was keeping him alive after Hanzo nearly killed him. He wasn’t wielding her at the time, so he had no idea how deep it all went.

He wanted so badly to scream as Soba took over his body, as he felt his prosthetics and artificial parts rip and reshape slowly and agonizingly, but he knew if he did his plan would be interrupted that much sooner. He gritted his teeth and bore the pain and accidentally shoved McCree away when he got too close. Genji caught a glimpse of the cowboy’s face full of concern and fear before he was blind again as another wave of pain swept through him.

McCree said later that the whole thing took about fifteen minutes, but it felt like hours, days to Genji before it all suddenly subsided and he was left completely breathless and shaking and aching all over. The ringing in his ears stopped to leave a deafening silence, then a low shaky whistle from where McCree stood. “Genji?” he asked carefully, “are you alright?”

Genji stood up straighter and examined himself. He glowed gently, fingers elegant and elongated and thicker with dangerous claws. He was tall now, almost seven feet if standing next to Jesse was anything to go by. Legs were longer, now bent the wrong way, horns sprouted from his forehead and… he twisted around in disbelief. _Really, Soba?_ His tail twitched with his agitation. It would have looked pretty badass, if it weren’t for the fact that most of it was a horrific amalgamation of his cyber enhancement, artificial prosthetics and what little remained of his organic body. He looked like something right out of the ‘How To: A Guide to Horror’ concept art book. “Fine. I think.”

“You look…. different.”

“Good.” Genji walked up to the bars, gripped them and wrenched them open without so much as an ounce of effort. Soba roared happily from around him, and for an instant her spirit became visible, wrapping him up in a cocoon of protective energies. The ninja turned to a gaping McCree and gestured with a mock bow. “Shall we?”

“I’ll be damned,” Jesse muttered as he slipped through the bars. He hesitated then, unsure of where to go, but Genji had no such issue as he turned his attentions towards the door that Moira had left through.

“Stay close and be ready to run,” Genji murmured. “Most of the Shimada holdings were built to similar designs, so I believe I know where Lúcio is. However as soon as that door opens unauthorized the alarms are going to go off. That means we run. Keep up, and do not stray from my side.”

“Understood.”

Genji eyed the door, tail swishing gently, then smashed his hands into the frame either side of it. With a lot more effort than the bars had taken he wrenched the door out of its frame and tossed it to the side. Sure enough, alarms started blaring and shouts could be heard distantly over the wailing. “Run,” Genji hissed, and took off down a corridor with Jesse hot on his heels.

They ran for what felt like ages, until Genji literally screeched to a halt outside a door, his claws digging into the floor and tearing up small trails. Once again the door was torn out of its holding, but the ninja then stopped short at what he saw and a strange, hitched growl spilled out. McCree pushed past to see what it was, and could only whisper a small “aw hell” at the sight.

Genji had been spot on about where he thought Lúcio was being held, but the DJ had definitely seen better days. Dark skin was darker in several places thanks to extensive bruising, his face and temples especially. His dreads were short now, cut amateurishly and without any attempt at decorum. Two of his fingers were obviously broken. Deep, long scratches were visible across his eyes and around his ears, and dried blood coated the underside of his fingernails. _God, had… had he done that to himself?_ He’d been stripped of his shirt and his prosthetics, essentially hobbling him, and an odd contraption was clamped around his head. Jesse moved to wrench it off but Genji stopped him with a large clawed hand.

“No, we do not know what that is for. It could be the only thing keeping him alive.”

“Then how-”

McCree was cut off by a sudden scream from Lúcio as he shot upright, eyes too wide and started thrashing about, vague words like ‘stop’ and ‘no’ audible through the yells. Genji rushed over and gently but firmly held Lúcio down so he didn’t do himself any more harm.

“Lúcio. Lúcio! It is just me, I promise! You are safe, we are going to get you out of here!” When Lúcio’s screams carried on, unhearing and uncaring of the ninja’s words, Genji’s heart broke a little and he did the only thing he could think of: he gathered Lúcio into a firm embrace and kissed him, mindful of his fangs. It caused the musician to cease thrashing and crying immediately. He went completely limp in Genji’s arms and the dragon master pulled away to see Lúcio staring at him with unfocused gaze, but recognition flickered in rich brown eyes. “You are safe now,” Genji whispered. “I promise.”

A shaky hand raised, hovered, and dropped as Lúcio fell unconscious once more. Carefully Genji pulled the contraption from Lúcio’s head and stood up to full height, turning to Jesse who had watched the whole thing with a schooled neutral expression.

“We leave,” Genji growled. “Now.” He swept out of the room, carrying Lúcio.

McCree could do nothing but follow.

They only made one pit stop as Genji blew through the base, Soba raging at everyone and anyone who got in her way, to grab their weapons as the dragon had sensed _Ryūichi moji_ nearby, and then blasted their way out of the holding. Guards tried to stop them, but between Genji’s furious dragon and McCree’s dead-on aim now he had Peacekeeper back there was little they could do to stop them. Genji himself felt a little detached from it all. His focus was mostly on the DJ still out cold. Soba had almost completely taken over, and it was more than a little hard to stop a full-fledged dragon on a rampage of anger and pain and love.

_And… love?_

_Oh god._

That made Genji shrink in on himself. Soba spared enough attention to smack him around the proverbial head before going back to her slaughterfest. He fell for people easily, he knew that. He might be very choosy about the person, but if they were right then head-over-heels he went. And _kami_ but did Lúcio make it so very, very easy. He let his eyes drift down to his charge, who was safely tucked away using only one arm whilst the other did all the damage. McCree was covering them beautifully. He still couldn’t use his Deadeye, but he’d never needed that to be a stunning marksman. Peacekeeper felled person after person, granting them quick and painless deaths compared to Soba’s disemboweling.

All in all it took them about half an hour to escape the facility, which McCree quickly discovered thanks to the wind chill factor was actually on a mountain. Probably Mount Daisen. They likely wouldn’t have strayed too far outside their territories.

For this exact reason, he then thought in dismay as they came face-to-face with another veritable army of men and women. Backup.

Soba roared, Genji’s partially synthesized voice adding a edge of manicism, but McCree stuck a hand out in front of the ninja.

“Not while you’ve got Lúcio.”

“Then what do you propose?” Genji hissed.

McCree was about to answer when a very familiar shout sounded from… actually quite a ways away, but the wind carried the words clearly enough.

“ _Ryūga wagateki wo kurau!_ ”

Somen and Udon tore down the plaza, scattering the force and ploughing through most of them. Any Talon or Shimada member that got caught in the dragons’ wakes were essentially disintegrated. Genji and Soba watched as their siblings-in-arms chased their prey and left the way clear for them. There was a loud noise of contempt from their left as Hanzo appeared, watching his protectors have their fun with his arm and tattoo glowing bright blue, but as soon as he turned and saw Genji it changed to an audible gasp.

“Genji… what did you do?”

“You know exactly what I did, _anija_. I had no other options.”

“We were coming for you.”

“I did not know how long you would be, and Lúcio needed help sooner rather than later. Who else is here?”

“Angela and Ana flew in a few hours ago.”

“Good. Get me to Angela, I do not know how long Moira had him for and he needs attention. Now.”

Hanzo didn’t argue, simply turned and walked away while Somen and Udon finished off their rampage. Soba’s anger had subsided rather substantially at this point but it was still an ugly simmering feeling just under his skin. Genji followed his older brother and McCree trailed behind them both, still avidly watching Hanzo’s dragons.

“How long has it been?” Genji asked in quiet Japanese as his longer strides caught up with Hanzo quickly.

“Over 42 hours,” the archer replied tersely. “I’m sorry, brother, that we did not reach you sooner.”

“No, Hanzo.” Genji placed a free hand on his older brother’s arm. “Thank you. For coming for me. It means everything.”

The surprised look he got in return that morphed into gratitude was the best answer Genji could have received.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
Amando had been informed of Lúcio’s state, and had gone ahead to cancel any further shows until the musician was capable of performing once more. They refunded anyone who wished for it, and told anyone with a valid ticket that they would automatically be added to the guest roster once the new dates were released. He didn’t hold back on what had happened to Lúcio, knowing what an impact the knowledge would have on the masses. It was calculated, partially to tell the audience exactly why they were being denied a show and let them know that they wouldn’t be lied to by the young _favela_ kid just finding his feet in the world, and partially so that in future extra vigilance would be observed by anyone, not just security teams.

Lúcio himself had been flown back to Overwatch’s Gibraltar base where their state-of-the-art medical lab was better equipped to handle what may have been done to him. He still hadn’t woken up four days later, and Mercy had left his side on the second day to deliver the news.

He would be fine, physically speaking. There was no lasting damage done by Moira - a name which caused a murmur among both old agents and new who had heard of her work - and he was recovering nicely.

What she couldn’t say for certain was what effect the experimentation had had on the DJ.

There had been extensive work done to his ears, auditory nerve and audial centers of the brain. He wasn’t deaf, not according to the state of the first two, but any brain damage would have to be assessed after he woke up, which may be another few days Mercy warned them. 

It wasn’t until Genji and Soba heard this that Soba actually released her vessel, allowing him to return to his normal form. That was also a fairly lengthy and exceptionally painful process. Hanzo had taken to explaining why Genji looked half-dragon when they landed at Gibraltar and Jack had attempted to attack him before realizing a second later who he was. Luckily Soba knew he was an ally, at least, and was too preoccupied with Lúcio to really pay him much mind.

For the next 46 hours she didn’t disentangle herself from her wielder, and Genji realized how genuinely agonizing and _itchy_ it was to keep oneself forced into an unnatural shape. Once they got the news that Lúcio would pull through, however, she rumbled in contentment that her work was done for now, and retreated to allow Genji to resume his normal cyborg shell. Exhausted and sore as he was afterwards, his gratitude towards his dragon knew no bounds. First she saved his life, now Lúcio’s.

He could never repay her.

Hanzo was the one that found him after the transformation had reversed, shaking and bruised with several tears and ruptures of his artificial body. The archer didn’t say anything, simply sat next to Genji, but never protested when his brother climbed into his arms and wrapped his own around Hanzo’s body. Hanzo just held him, humming a quiet song their mother used to sing to them as children.

Genji eventually fell asleep and Hanzo carried him to the Medical wing for repairs. Mercy was waiting, looking pleased to see him returned to normal. She said they were easy repairs despite how they looked and Hanzo left him on one of the beds next to Lúcio.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
When Genji awoke, the pain was gone. All the damage Soba had done to his body had been fixed, which he more than appreciated as he sat up and stretched. Angela came in as he slid his legs over the side of the bed and handed him a couple of energy pouches with a smile.

“You’ll need the extra energy, Genji. How do you feel?”

“Better now that Soba is done with her hissy fit,” Genji grumbled, downing one of the sachets. A small smile of thanks appeared when the taste of pork udon hit his tongue, and Angela’s face brightened further. _She’s so beautiful like that._ “I still feel like a… what are they called? Ragdoll?”

Mercy giggled. “Yeah, I’ll bet. Thankfully your repairs were easy.”

“And what about Lúcio?” Genji’s gaze returned to the unconscious form in the next bed, downing the second pouch - tapioca this time, another favorite. God but he loved this woman.

“He still hasn’t woken up yet, so I’m not sure. Hopefully he’ll wake soon, but for now everything is normal.”

“I will take what I can get.”

There was silence for a moment, and then Angela’s tone turned curious. “You like him, don’t you Genji?”

“Yes.” The reply was without hesitation. He saw no reason to lie.

“And he likes you too?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Mercy collected the empty fuel packets and kissed Genji’s cheek. “You deserve someone in your life.” She left the room to return to her office. Genji touched his cheek and watched her go with a soft smile. Maybe at the time he hadn’t appreciated it, but he would be forever grateful that she had given him this second chance at life. He hopped off the bed and stretched, groaning in pleasure at the way his body reset itself, then moved to Lúcio’s side and gripped the DJ’s hand. Soba slid down Genji’s arm and onto Lúcio’s chest, where she curled up and purred gently.

_He is going to be alright, Genji._

“Do you think?”

_I am certain. He is strong._

That made the ninja chuckle. “And dragons know everything, right?”

_That too._

They settled into silence after that, keeping vigil and helping to monitor the DJ. Soba made Tracer jump when she came to visit and the dragon unfurled herself proudly from where she’d been sat unnoticed at Lúcio’s feet. After her initial shock Lena’s delighted squealing could be heard through the entire base, Genji was sure. Zenyatta stopped by to relieve the two of them from their self-imposed duties and offer his own support, Mercy was in and out and McCree made himself known briefly to see whether Lúcio had awakened or not.

Hanzo didn’t appear at all.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
It took another two days before Lúcio actually woke up. His vision was blurry and he could only just make out a blonde figure leaning over him. It took him several more minutes for his eyes to clear and the face of Angela Ziegler to come into focus.

“Ahhh, Mr dos Santos, _wunderbar_. You’re awake. I’m Dr Angela Ziegler, with Overwatch.” She smiled sweetly. “How do you feel?”

Lúcio considered for a moment, then tried to work his mouth to say something and frowned when no noise ensued. Trying again yielded the same result, so instead he held out a flat hand which he then tilted side to side. The doctor nodded.

“To be expected. I don’t know what you went through with Moira, but your throat and vocal chords took some damage so don’t expect to be talking for another couple of days or so. Do not force yourself to do so either, it will hinder healing.” She leaned back and grabbed a chart from one of the nearby tables. “Now, your physical impairment was minimal, considering, but I need to assess your mental acuity just in case there is any damage to your brain. That is not something I can detect while you’re unconscious. Is that okay with you?”

Lúcio nodded, and for the next half an hour or so he answered all of Angela’s yes-no questions as she tested out all his basic functionality and memory. Eventually she came back at him with a clean bill of health, and he released a breath in relief. As he leaned back in his bed he caught sight of a desk over the other side of the room, on top of which a very distinctive lower arm and hand sat, badly damaged. His eyes widened and he pointed at it, glancing between it and Mercy. The doctor looked at the arm and smiled.

“Don’t worry, Genji is fine. Worried about you. He’s currently resting, per my orders. I told him if I found him in here at all in the next…” she checked her watch, “-three hours I would forcibly sedate him and _make_ him rest. He has been keeping a close eye on you since you all returned.”

Lúcio huffed a laugh. _Still can’t help being the bodyguard_. A flash of memory shot across his vision as soon as the bodyguard thought ended, making him blink, and his gaze went back to the arm on the desk. It was ripped and torn, like it had been stretched too far and clawed at, and the DJ blanched. Angela protested as he stumbled unsteadily out of his bed, but he was halfway to the desk before she caught him and stopped his weak scramble.

“What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded, but Lúcio ignored her question and pointed at Genji’s arm with a gusto belying his weakened state. He mimed claws and then put his index fingers up either side of his temples reminiscent of horns, then turned a desperate, questioning gaze to Angela.

Mercy faltered, expression softening, then shook her head. “I’ll let Genji explain when he’s allowed back, I promise. But it’s for him to tell you about, I do not know all the details.”

Lúcio slumped in Angela’s arms, and she lead him back to the bed. He got back in without complaint, but couldn’t keep his eyes off the arm across the room.

Three hours had never seemed more like a lifetime.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
Genji nearly jumped out of his plating when a hand shot out and gently but firmly gripped his, and he turned a brightened visor towards the intruder, pausing in his motion to go into the Medical Center.

“He remembers,” Angela said quietly, getting right to the point. “I don’t know how much, but he remembers your… dragon-self. You are going to have to talk to him about it.”

Genji grimaced. He’d been hoping the DJ was too out of it to recall that. Then Angela’s words actually sank in. “Wait, he is awake?”

“Yes, has been for a few hours. But don’t push him, Genji, he is still recovering. He also can’t talk, the damage to his throat and vocal chords still needs to heal some more before he can try.”

“I understand, thank you Angela.” He nodded as Mercy let go of his arm, and he pushed the door open to find Lúcio sitting up in his bed, looking tired and bruised as he browsed on a laptop. He glanced up as the door opened, and the two locked gazes for all of a second before Lúcio’s expression changed to pure relief and he gestured hurriedly for Genji to come join him.

The ninja obliged without protest.

As soon as he was in range, Genji found himself pulled down into a desperate hug that had ‘thank god you’re alright’ written all over it. He responded by wrapping his arms around Lúcio’s body, tightening his grip, solid and warm, to let the DJ know that he was there and real and fine.

“I am so glad you are okay,” Genji murmured, fingers moving up to tangle themselves into crudely chopped hair. “I was so afraid I had not reached you in time. I broke my promise to you, I am so sorry.” He kept muttering “ _gomen_ ” into Lúcio’s shoulder until the DJ pulled back and clamped his hands onto Genji’s shoulders, glaring at him. Lúcio poked his finger into Genji’s chest and shook his head vigorously. He then reached up and uncoupled Genji’s faceplate and visor - more observant than he’d been given credit for, apparently, the ninja’s armor was not easily removed - and ran a shaky hand down Genji’s normal scarred face, mapping out his eyes and cheeks and lips.

The DJ hiccuped a little when Genji pressed a kiss to the wandering fingers exploring his visage. “Do you remember?” Genji asked quietly, linking their fingers with Lúcio’s other hand. “Angela said you did.”

Lúcio nodded slowly, hand moving up to trace around where Genji’s horns had protruded and then looking pointedly at the normal-shaped fingers, so innocently synthetic.

“It is something that all Shimadas can do with their dragons,” Genji began. “They are normally channeled through spiritually-charged weapons or objects, makes them much easier and faster to summon during battle. But what if you do not have your imbued weapon to hand? The dragons refused to let us be defenseless should that ever come to pass.” He paused as Lúcio leaned back into the bed, keeping their hands joined but listening raptly to the story. “They allow us temporary use of their power for ourselves, in return for hosting them entirely within our bodies. It is an exceptionally painful process that physically changes the vessel, which is what you saw on me, and can very easily kill the vessel if they are not in the right mindset. Were I to try it while I was in Blackwatch, it most certainly would have killed me. But now…” He squeezed Lúcio’s hand. “Now I am whole, and I had something exceptional to fight for. I have never felt Soba as angry as she was when she took over. I was not the only one who took offense to your capture.”

That got a small smile out of Lúcio, but it vanished in the wake of concern as he gestured towards the broken arm across the room. Genji dipped his head. “That was the most damaged part of me. It is still salvageable though, so Mercy will fix it up and keep it as a spare should I ever need it. The transition was… not gentle, either way.”

Lúcio’s expression narrowed at that, running fingers pointedly over a visible mar in one of Genji’s thighs. It was healing, slowly. Genji sighed and caught the DJ’s chin between his fingers, carefully and gently bringing it up until their eyes met.

“It was worth it,” he said, quietly but full of fierce ardor. “Every second was worth it. _You_ are worth it, _kaeru_.”

Brown eyes widened, and while his voice didn’t work there was no mistaking Genji’s name on Lúcio’s lips before the DJ surged forwards and Genji was having the life kissed out of him. It was intense and firey and full of energy like everything else about Lúcio, and short-lived. Lúcio pulled away after not too long, mostly because he apparently couldn’t help a yawn escaping him, after which he sent a sheepish grin to Genji. The ninja simply rolled his eyes and pushed at Lúcio to lie back on the bed.

Even if Lúcio wasn’t capable of producing sounds at that point the yelp at Soba suddenly appearing on his chest was practically audible. She skittered up to him and nuzzled at his face, purring happily that he was awake and okay. He scratched at the top of her head even as he suppressed another yawn.

“Sleep, Lúcio. You will heal faster. We will still be here.”

The DJ looked a little annoyed at himself for being so tired, but agreed nonetheless and settled back. Soba remained on his chest, curling up and huffing out a slow stream of smoke much to Lúcio’s sleepy delight. He curved an arm around the dragon gently and five minutes later was asleep once more.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
It was another five days before Angela gave Lúcio permission to start using his voice. “Slowly and as little as possible,” she’d instructed sternly, and Lúcio could do nothing but agree enthusiastically.

However, they realized pretty quickly that it was too much to ask for that Moira hadn’t managed to do anything to Lúcio. The first words the DJ spoke were, “I’m hungry”, and it caused everyone who heard it to turn and stare at him with varying expressions. It disconcerted him slightly. “What?” he’d demanded. “Never seen a hungry musician before?”

His voice had taken on a reverb that would never be natural in a normal person. Apparently Lúcio himself couldn’t hear it, but after listening to a recording he shivered and brought a hand to his throat. How Moira had altered his voice like that without it appearing on Mercy’s radar no one was sure, but several tests and scans later she still couldn’t pinpoint what had changed. Why that change in particular they still didn’t know, and it worried Lúcio. Angela had dismissed him once more while she ran more tests on everything she could, and the DJ had ended up in the meditation room with Genji and Zenyatta.

“How am I supposed to perform now?” Lúcio asked, subdued. “If I can’t use my voice…”

“They may simply think it is a new audio effect on the microphone,” said Genji. He stroked the hair splayed out in his lap, where Lúcio’s head lay while he stared at the muted colors of the ceiling. “This does not have to change the way you do anything, _kaeru_.”

“There is something odd about the reverb in your voice, however,” mused Zenyatta as he floated serenely next to the two of them. “It is… like a subliminal tone that my audial systems are detecting and filtering automatically, but cannot diagnose what exactly it is.”

“Subliminal?” Lúcio sounded a little startled.

“Does that mean something to you?” Genji’s hand flattened across the crown of Lúcio’s head.

“Yeah. I use subliminal notes in my music, deliberately. Helps set the tone for each of my pieces. I can make them full of energy, make them harmonize, make anyone who listens feel happy, inclusive, content and like they can do anything they set their minds to.” Lúcio sighed and laced his fingers with Genji’s other hand. “It’s somethin’ I learned early on in my love of music. My goal is to bring the world together, and my work helps me do that.”

“Interesting.” Zenyatta tilted his face towards Lúcio slightly. “I noticed nothing of the sort in your concert.”

“You shouldn’t have, it’s designed so it all blends into my music and very hard to pinpoint, let alone filter. It’s an automatic skill with omnics, and I wanted this for everyone. Trust me, it’s a hell of a lot harder to do than it sounds. No one knows about it but me. And now you two.”

“Are you not worried someone could hijack your music? Use it to send out subliminal messages of their own?” Genji immediately asked, but received as much of a shake of the head as Lúcio could muster from Genji’s lap.

“No. Like I said, no one knows about it, ‘cept us three.”

There was silence for a moment, and then suddenly Lúcio sat up from his supine position to wrap his arms around Genji’s shoulders, bury his face into the artificial armor and just start to cry. His body shook with silent sobs and Genji simply clung back with silent support and sympathy. Zenyatta floated one of his healing orbs over Lúcio’s head, and Soba draped herself over both her master and the DJ as she appeared in a whisper of energy.

For a long time the three of them stayed and embraced their charge, making sure he knew he wasn’t alone and allowing him to get his emotions under control, and Genji felt the guilt return of how he failed in his promise to protect something that had come to mean so much to him in such a short period of time.  
  
  
\--  
  
  
For several more days Mercy tried to explain the change in Lúcio’s voice but couldn’t, and it was frustrating her no end. Adding to it was the fact that after getting used to the odd addition to the way Lúcio spoke, it seemed to fade. A week and a half after he woke up from his injuries, the reverb plaguing him had all but disappeared.

However, they also found out what it was, exactly, the reverb was for.

It hadn’t gone completely, it was just unused in his normal vocal range. It was entirely possible for him to bring it back out again, and if heard in the heat of the moment or deliberately used on someone they would be placed under a very strong compulsion to do whatever Lúcio said.

Of course the first use was totally accidental but it turned out okay so all’s well that ends well, Genji supposed, though he would never let Hanzo live it down. It had only been meant as a teasing comment after all.

Hanzo, in his usual fashion, was being a bit of a grump one afternoon in the rec room, complaining about pretty much every annoying thing Jesse McCree had done the past couple days. General complaining, not to anyone in particular, but eventually Lúcio had turned to him with an exasperated noise and expression.

“Oh my god, why don’t you just go make out with him already and get it over with?” he’d said, and everyone else heard the reverb except for the DJ himself. A bit jarring, as it hadn’t reappeared since it vanished the first time, but no one thought anything much of it until Hanzo’s expression glazed over a little and he got up part way through another sentence. He walked right up to McCree, interrupted the cowboy’s conversation with D.Va and proceed to thoroughly ravish him with a kiss.

It wasn’t until they were both totally out of breath and almost the entire room had wolf-whistled and hollered in response that Hanzo seemed to come to his senses and he pulled back, looking totally mortified and staring between Lúcio and Jesse.

“What did you _do_?” Hanzo had demanded, and Lúcio looked totally lost for words. He was too busy gaping with the rest of them. Eventually he lifted a hand to his throat and swallowed thickly.

“ _Sinto muito_ ,” he’d whispered and ran from the room.

Genji ran after him, catching him just before the musician reached his room. They both entered and immediately Lúcio broke down, Genji catching him and taking him to the bed. Moira was going to pay for this, the ninja thought to himself silently. She could not be left to do this to anyone else.

When Lúcio calmed down Genji took off his mask and filter and ran soothing fingers up and down his spine, murmuring comforting words and allowing the DJ to come back to himself in his own time.

“Did I do that?” Lúcio asked, voice laced with fear as though it might happen again.

“I believe so.”

“Shit.”

“Lúcio, do not. Do not blame yourself. I know you are.” Genji held up a hand to forestall any protestations, and Lúcio closed his mouth slowly. “Moira did this to you, and we had no idea what “this” was. Now, it seems, we do. And it appears to be something you can control, you just need to learn. I will help. Do not blame yourself. Learn from this and use it to go forwards.”

“You think I can?” Lúcio’s hand rose to his throat again, and Genji took it gently.

“I know you can. Try it on me now. See if you can make me do something. Anything.”

“No!” Lúcio looked horrified at the very idea. “I can overwrite free will! I would never do that to anyone, let alone you of all people.”

“ _Kaeru_ please. Humor me. I ask you to do this of my own volition. Consider this… the first step in training.”

The DJ looked agonized over the decision even as he flexed his hands into and out of fists. “But Genji…”

“Try it,” Genji said as he pressed a quick kiss to Lúcio’s forehead. “For me.”

Lúcio shivered, but then nodded slowly. “Okay.” He took a deep breath, went silent for a couple of minutes, and then said, “tell me what I mean to you” as he physically tried to _push_ his voice towards the ninja.

Immediately Genji was hit the effects of the reverb. It wasn’t unpleasant at all, a tickly, tingly feeling through his body that actually felt pretty nice even as he felt his eyes glaze over and his mouth open without any prompting from him. He tried to stop himself, though admittedly not very hard, and found it very difficult to resist the essential siren’s call of Lúcio’s order.

“So much,” he found himself saying. And it was the truth. “You mean the world to me.”

He snapped back to himself with the force of a rubber band, and grinned. Lúcio flushed lightly, but looked slightly less mortified about the whole thing. He squinted into Genji’s eyes as though looking for something, and the ninja chuckled.

“It seems the compulsion breaks once the order has been carried out,” he said. Lúcio nodded slowly. “Now, try it again but do so in Portuguese. I will not be able to understand you, it will be interesting to see if I must understand the order to carry it out or if the intent behind it is enough.”

There was less hesitation this time as Lúcio appeared to accept that Genji was doing this purely voluntarily, that he trusted Lúcio to have complete control over him. “ _Me beije_ ,” he intoned, a little shakily, but once again pushing his voice towards Genji.

And the ninja couldn’t help himself. He leaned forwards, cupped the DJ’s face and kissed him soundly. Lúcio made an approving, satisfied sound, reached up and pulled Genji closer as he deepened their kiss. Genji could feel the compulsion break as soon as his lips touched Lúcio’s but he didn’t want to stop and neither did Lúcio.

They spent a good ten minutes just making out, Lúcio crawling into Genji’s lap to make himself more comfortable, and then a couple minutes afterwards to catch their breath. It took longer for Genji, his lack of filter making it more difficult, but it was honestly more than worth it.

“I think we can definitely say it’s the intention that counts. Unless you understood that and just didn’t tell me you’d learned my language,” Lúcio murmured.

“No,” said Genji, “I did not understand but apparently had no need.”

“Another test to check off then.”

Genji patted at Lúcio’s head, then frowned and instead carded his fingers through what remained of his dreadlocks. “Oh _kaeru_ , I am sorry about your beautiful hair.”

“It’s hair, Genji, it’ll grow back. What matters is I’m alive, and I’m alright. Maybe not okay, not yet, but I’m alright. And here with you. That’s all I could ask for,” replied Lúcio firmly, kissing him once more briefly. “As long as you and Soba are around, I can take on the world.”

“You were well on your way to doing that before we came along.”

“And now I can do it with no fear.” A pause. “Hey Genji?”

“Mm?”

“Go out with me?”

The ninja spluttered at that, startled hazel eyes rising to meet rich brown dancing with something more now Lúcio was no longer freaking out. “I… what?”

“Go out with me,” Lúcio repeated, deliberately not pushing his words as before. “Make it official. We’re practically there anyway, and I can’t imagine anyone better for me than you.”

A silence stretched long enough for Lúcio to get a little uncomfortable, his expression starting to slip into worry that he’d overstepped, and Genji decided he didn’t like that look. It had been years since he’d last dated. None of them had ever been serious. He’d been a playboy, a pleasure whore, never bedding the same person twice in a row.

“I confess I do not know how,” said Genji eventually, uncertainly, “but I will learn. I accept.”

The tension drained from Lúcio’s body and he slumped against Genji’s chest. As Genji lay them both back onto the bed he made sure the DJ was comfortable, then made himself comfortable, and as they began to doze Soba wrapped herself around them both as best she could at three feet long. It made Lúcio make a delighted noise, but he never moved from his haven of using Genji as a giant body pillow.

Bodyguard to body pillow.

He was going to have to thank Ana, Winston and Jack for giving him this mission.

  
  


\--

  
  


It took nearly five more months of vocal therapy and lessons from various members of Overwatch (along with shenanigans; while he would never hurt them, training and controlling his forced compulsions meant he eventually had them doing some pretty ridiculous things) before Lúcio felt confident enough in himself and his control that he could continue his tour without enslaving the masses to his every word. Amando was kept in the loop every single step of the way, and Lúcio seemed to find a lot of strength from his agent’s encouragement and reassurances. His team just wanted him well again. As it was he ended up agreeing to becoming an agent of Overwatch itself after his tour was done, on the conditions that Genji remained his bodyguard for the duration of his round-the-world bonanza, that they don’t publicly tell anyone that he was part of their organization and that they never ever ask or order him to use his hypersuasion to command anybody if he didn’t explicitly offer first.

Winston enthusiastically accepted Lúcio’s conditions if it meant adding the revolutionist DJ to their ranks. In the end he had got what he hoped from Lúcio even if the reasons for it weren’t quite what he expected. The ape had not anticipated Genji’s normally steadfast professionalism to abandon him on this particular mission, but honestly it had all worked out just fine and he was actually glad Genji had found someone special.

Lúcio’s hair had also started to grow back a little, but he’d decided to not dread it for now and simply left it natural. It would take a long time for his hair to reach its previous length anyway and he hadn’t had it natural for quite a few years. It was poofier than Genji expected, and he loved sitting behind Lúcio playing with it while the DJ worked. Lúcio had a photo on one of his nightstands that Genji had taken of Soba atop Lúcio’s head, looking totally lost in the sea of black corkscrew curls but perfectly happy about it, tongue lolling out at the camera. The musician loved it and had it printed and framed immediately.

As a celebration of getting his new abilities under control and restarting his tour Genji insisted on taking Lúcio out on a date, just the two of them. Between all that had happened they hadn’t really had a chance to just sit and _talk_ , the way most couples did. No teammates interfering, no well-meaning doctors forcing bedrest, no friends, no family, no paps. Just Lúcio and Genji and some good food. There was a wonderful Greek place near the Gibraltar base that Ana introduced Genji to when he first became a part of Overwatch. It was close enough to the base to get back for emergencies but far enough away that you couldn’t see it from anywhere, and Gibraltar itself wasn’t known for its huge number of rabid Lúcio fans. Genji felt it was a safe enough bet.

Lúcio was thrilled with the idea when the ninja proposed it. He’d never had proper Greek food before and was excited to try everything, drinks included. They decided on a Thursday evening. On a weekday it wouldn’t be busy and the bar was open late so they could stay as long as they wanted.

“We don’t really have Greek food in Brazil. We have a fair amount of Japanese deliciousness though,” Lúcio said as he eagerly roved the menu. “I’ve eaten at a fair few Japanese restaurants myself.”

“Until I joined Overwatch I had never had food outside of Japan,” offered Genji as he took off his faceplate and visor and set them neatly under the table out of reach of any unwary feet. “Gabriel introduced me to lots of different food, Ana took me to almost every good restaurant she knew of in any country we went to, and McCree makes a mean barbeque. I found so many new flavors and tastes and foods that I could never have imagined before.” He grinned wryly. “Not that any of them make a difference. I am above needing standard human nourishment.”

“Oh I see, just because you’re a cyborg you think you’re better than us lowly humans?” the musician teased, and Genji winked in response.

“Of course.”

“You’re horrible. I don’t know why I agreed to go out with you.”

“I am irresistible, obviously. And you like my ass.”

Lúcio groaned and threw his napkin at the now-laughing man across from him good-naturedly, and determinedly went back to the menu. “Since you’ve been here before, recommend some things to me. What do you normally have?”

“Moussaka,” said Genji instantly. “Eggplant dish. It is one of my favorites. Pretty common and one of the more popular Greek dishes, but so good. And for drinks get either the lemonade or the mint tea.”

“Done. I love eggplant,” declared Lúcio, going back to the menu.

It took them a good half an hour to actually order anything because Genji kept sending Lúcio into giggle fits over stories from his time in Blackwatch and distracting the DJ from the menu, but eventually they stopped long enough for the waitress to take their orders with a huge smile. She’d clearly been listening to Genji’s anecdotes.

When she left and they were alone again Genji held out his hand towards the musician. Lúcio stared at it a little surprised but took it readily. He turned it over and caressed Genji’s metal knuckles, admiring the wear on the ‘skin’ that told of his adventures and life and how smooth it actually felt. A rush of adoration pulsed through him for Angela Ziegler, the woman who had made sure this wonderful, wonderful man lived to come into his world.

“You are nervous,” the ninja noted, and Lúcio looked up in confusion. “About your rescheduled tour,” Genji clarified upon seeing the expression. It cleared and Lúcio nodded.

“Well, yeah, but I can’t live bein’ afraid of what I can do. I gotta try.”

Genji flexed his fingers under Lúcio’s and smiled lopsidedly. “And that is what I admire about you the most. You just keep getting right back up again. You have strength I never had, and I shall be here every step of the way.”

“Like Zenyatta was for you?” Lúcio asked curiously, between blushing furiously at the compliments.

The ninja laughed then. “Eventually, yes. When I finally got my head out of its proverbial void of teenage angst.”

Lúcio scrunched his nose up at that and tangled their fingers together properly. For all Genji was taller than him the musician’s hands were actually slightly bigger, and for some reason it made him amused. Genji was slender anyway, his cyborg body not leaving him any room for growth, so he supposed it made sense his hands were on the smaller side, deadly as they were. “I’m havin’ trouble imagining you all brooding and angsty. I’m almost expecting that stupid emo flopping fringe too.”

“That would have definitely completed the look,” said Genji, amused. “It did not help that my body was only halfway complete. Angela was having trouble with rebuilding me and I was still so angry at Hanzo’s betrayal. You should ask McCree about it, he has some stories I am certain.”

“Oh I might just. ‘Hey Eastwood, tell me more about my boyfriend’s angst-ridden Blackwatch days!’ He’ll love it, I’m sure.”

“No doubt.” Genji fell silent only as their starters arrived, and as Lúcio started tucking into his he said, “Lúcio, thank you.”

“For what?” Lúcio finished off his piece of pita with tzatziki before eyeing the ninja quizzically.

“For being the best assignment I have ever had. For sharing your world with me. For trusting me.”

“Oh.” The blush was back again, Lúcio was certain of it. “I guess... you’re welcome. But you don’t have to thank me for that, that’s called being a decent human being. Besides,” he added quickly. “I’m pretty sure I got the better end of the deal.”

“Ah. The hot cyborg ninja bodyguard?”

“Awesome spirit dragon included.” Lúcio leaned across the table and pressed a gentle kiss to Genji’s cheek. “I love you, you know that right?”

Genji’s wide, sweet, megawatt smile could have powered the whole room for weeks. “I do. I love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Whew, there we go! Hope everyone enjoyed that ride, it certainly took me on a journey while I was writing it!
> 
> Dictionary:  
>  _Qual é o seu problema, cara?_ \- What's your problem, dude?  
>  _Hajimemashite_ \- Nice to meet you  
>  _Cala a boca_ \- Shut up  
>  _Meu Deus_ \- My God  
>  _Você é tão bonito_ \- You're so beautiful  
>  _Vai se fuder_ \- Fuck off  
>  _Anija_ \- more old-fashioned way of saying big brother  
>  _Otōto_ \- Younger brother  
>  _Mochiron_ \- Of course  
>  _Relaxa, amor_ \- Relax, babe  
>  _Wunderbar_ \- Wonderful  
>  _Gomen_ \- Sorry  
>  _Sinto muito_ \- I'm sorry  
>  _Me beije_ \- Kiss me


End file.
